Fading Sun
by school-is-my-purgatory
Summary: Bella's a Cullen and Edward's a human. Charlotte, Peter, the Volturi, mind control, and love. sometimes, slightly OOC. I know a lot of people have done this, but mine's different. Not at all like Twilight. So much to say, too little boxes!
1. Chapter 1

EPOV

I dropped the last bag on the floor of my 'new' room. I sat down on my 'new' bed and stared up at my 'new' ceiling. I'd actually been here before, but that was when I was really little. By the time I was eight I had avoided this town like the plague.

And now I was back.

I really hadn't wanted to move here, but what choice did I have? My mom had gotten remarried and I had decided that it was time to move out. I liked Phil fine, but my mom really needed some quality time with her new husband.

So I came back to Forks, the town I hadn't been to since I was eight. I hadn't wanted to seem so self-sacrificing; this was as much for me as it was for my mom. It's really hard to survive peacefully in a house with newlyweds.

But I didn't want to think about that anymore; so I lay down and went to sleep.

*~*~*

Before I knew it, my alarm was going off. At first I thought I had accidentally set it wrong, but then I realized that it wasn't actually midnight, the sun was simply so covered with clouds that it seemed to be dark out.

I groaned and dragged myself out of bed. I threw on a long-sleeved shirt and a pair of jeans, not really caring what I looked like.

I jumped into my car after grabbing a piece of toast. Charlie had gotten me an old truck, and while he had only been thinking for me, it was way too slow for my liking. I mean, it must have been at least fifty years old.

I was just coming to terms with the idea when I started it. The thunderous roar made me jump and I muffled a curse.

Eventually I got to school. It should have taken me about three minutes, but in my truck it took at least ten. People had better watch out. I was already in a bad mood and I didn't like to be the center of attention. I felt like a bomb just waiting to explode.

I reluctantly walked into the office and was given a schedule, map, and a slip for all my teachers to sign. What was the point of that? Oh well.

I had just walked out of the office when I was practically attacked by a girl with HUGE frizzy hair and a motor-mouth to match.

"Hi!" She said, way too excited, "I'm Jessica. You must be Edward."

Her abrupt entrance had startled me, and I scrambled to regain ground. I was just about to respond when I heard a booming laugh from the parking lot.

I whirled around just in time to see a guy with curly brown hair clamor our of a silver Volvo. I would have been gaping at the car if it weren't for the people getting out of it.

**(I'm not going to describe them all, just Bella; you all know what they look like, so let's pretend I just took like three paragraphs explaining exactly what they look like.)**

The blonde was amazingly beautiful, and I'm sure all the girls hated her for it, and I didn't blame them. She was the most beautiful person I had ever seen.

Then _she_ got out.

I had never seen someone like her. She had long, wavy hair that came down to her waist. She had an open face that seemed so friendly and happy, yet reclusive and sad at the same time. She was more beautiful than the blond in a more subtle way.

I didn't realize I was staring until I felt Jessica tap me on the shoulder, and even then I didn't care. I only came back to the present as she dragged me into the class, bringing the amazing kids out of my sight.

I was about to ask her who they were when she stomped back out of the classroom, leaving me alone in my homeroom, just as the bell rang. I sighed and sat down in my seat. I'd have to wait till lunch.

*~*~*

Morning classes crawled by. I really didn't like all eyes on me. I wasn't shy; I just wasn't used to attention. I tried to sit in the back of the class, but that didn't stop me from attracting a few over-friendly girls.

I tried to ignore Jessica as walked around the whole school giving me a tour. All the other girls would just stare at me until Jessica made it clear that I was hers.

Which I most definitely wasn't.

It was time like this that I cursed the fact that Forks was such a small town. I was new, and thus I was the center of attention.

But lunchtime eventually came.

I had to sit with Jessica, to be polite. I really just wanted to eat at my own table. I'm really more reclusive than popular.

But it was all the same anyway. The cafeteria was so small that there were no empty tables. Every table had at least three people at it. So I suffered in silence.

I was so bored. Everyone at the table was so superficial. The girls talked about shopping and the boys talked about sports.

I was going to have to find a new table tomorrow.

But suddenly I was happy that I had sat at the gossip table. I had just seen the kids that had captured my attention this morning. The beautiful ones.

"Who are they?" I asked, interrupting the boy on my right. I think his name was Eric.

"Them?" He asked, jerking his head towards their table, though it was obvious he already knew the answer. It aggravated me when people asked unnecessary questions, but I nodded anyway, hiding my irritation.

"They're the Cullens." He said, and I could tell that there were a lot of stories constantly circulating about them, just by the tone of his voice. "The blond guy is Jasper Hale. He's twins with the blond girl, Rosalie. The guy with brown hair is Emmett Cullen. The girl with the black hair is Alice Cullen."

"What about the girl with the brown hair?" I asked, eager for the mystery girl's name.

"That's Isabella." He said, a sigh escaping his lips.

I couldn't see what was so special about them-besides their incredible good looks, of course-but I could tell there was more. Eric just needed some prodding.

"Wow. Why do they sit by themselves?" I asked, knowing this would get a good reaction.

He snorted, gross. "All of them but Isabella are complete freaks. They're all adopted by Dr. Cullen and his wife. They live together, but Rosalie is dating Emmett and Alice is dating Jasper." He said.

Well, I had to admit that was a little weird. But they weren't related right? I guess you really can't help who you fall in love with. I wouldn't know.

As I watched, Alice seemed to suddenly stiffen. She looked directly ahead, but that was all I could make out at this distance. Suddenly, her siblings-that had all been looking in different directions-jerked to attention and started to watch her anxiously. Jasper hovered protectively.

I was worried, but Eric assured me that everything was fine. Apparently she had some weird disease.

And then she was fine. She started to move again. She smiled widely; first at Jasper, who was making sure she was okay, and then right at Isabella. She looked shocked for a second, and then turned to look at me.

I was locked in her gaze until Eric started shaking me.

"Who does Isabella date?" I asked my voice suddenly rougher. A booming laugh erupted from her table, but I ignored it. There was no way they could hear me.

"No one. She's single, but don't waste your time. Even if she did date, her brothers don't let you get within a yard of her. Very protective." He winced, and I had a feeling he had felt their rage a few times.

I shrugged. She was probably a jerk anyways. Anyone that beautiful would have to have an ego the size of china. I just tried to focus on eating and making my way through my first day. I would have to stop thinking about her.

But it wasn't that easy.

I had always been able to control my thoughts, but all that control seemed to be taking a day off today. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw her staring at me. I didn't even know what color her eyes were-she had been too far away-and I was obsessing over her.

Eventually I just gave up and thought about her, glad I didn't have any classes with her, it would just make it worse.

Before long the bell was ringing, jerking me back to the present. I got up and walked to the door just in time to see Isabella and her family practically floating to the door. First these kids get to have amazingly good looks. Then they get to be rich, judging from the car they drove here and the fact that their father is a doctor. Now they get to be graceful too.

Life was just unfair.

I was so lost in thought that I didn't realize I was at biology until Jessica was waving goodbye. Apparently she had been talking this whole time.

I walked to the teacher and got my paper signed. He pointed out the seat I would be sitting at and it took me about two seconds to realize that I would be lab partners with Isabella.

I smiled and walked to my seat as I processed that. I groaned as I realized that she was probably used to charming guys into doing her work for her. She would probably try to get me to do everything for her. She would try to charm me. She would tease me.

And I wasn't sure I would be able to resist.

But as it turns out, I didn't have to worry about that. At least not today. As soon as I came within a couple yards of her, she stiffened. Suddenly she was up and out of her seat. She walked right up to the teacher-Mr. Banner-and talked to him in a quiet voice. She looked right into his eyes and within seconds he had agreed to whatever she wanted.

"Feel better soon Ms. Cullen." He called after her. She flashed him a quick smile and started towards the door. So she was sick.

But that wasn't right.

She wasn't walking slowly. She didn't look pale. In fact, she looked even more alive than she had in the cafeteria. Yet Mr. Banner watched her walk out, with complete faith that she was sick.

Hm.

What really sealed it was the glare she sent my way as she walked out the door. It was terrifying. Her eyes were pitch black. For a few seconds she looked extremely dangerous; animalistic. Then she was back to regular Isabella, leaving me to puzzle over her strange behavior.

**A/N: Okay, so there's my first chapter. Sorry it took so long. I like to get a head start before posting my first update. Sorry if Edward is a little weird sometimes, I'm a girl and he's a boy. If I were 100% accurate, it would be creepy and you know it.**


	2. Chapter 2

BPOV

I had to leave. I had to leave _now_. The entirely unsuspecting boy was just walking down the row, unaware of how much danger he was in.

I watched him walk closer and closer. My resolve to not kill him slipped more and more with each step. I would have to get out of this.

Quickly, I got up and walked toward the teacher in the corner of the room.

"Mr. Banner?" I asked, purposely pushing a charm in my voice. "I feel sick. May I go home?"

He looked at me, surprised. I never got sick. I knew I didn't look sick. I was going to have to dazzle him. I might even have to use my power on him. Ugh.

"Please Mr. Banner?" I said, looking right into his eyes. He nodded quickly and I almost laughed, but that would ruin the effect. That had been quick. Maybe I had used my power on him. It was just so hard to tell these days. Oh well.

As I walked out the door, I glanced back at the new boy. I didn't even realize that I was glaring at him until I saw the terror in his eyes. I was going to have to keep track of what I was doing better in the future. I had all eternity to clean up my act.

I was running across the parking lot just as Alice ran around the corner.

"Late much?" I muttered under my breath.

"Sorry, sorry." She said, scowling.

"Hey, it's fine. He's not dead right? A little warning just would have been nice." Her frown turned into a smile when she saw I wasn't mad.

"Besides, I don't have the advantage you do. You can get out of class whenever you need to. I had to fake sick for fifteen minutes before he would let me out."

"Actually," I said, glad she wasn't upset anymore, "I'm not even sure I used my 'advantage' today. I can hardly tell anymore."

She tsked her tongue. "You're getting sloppy. So are you going to leave?"

"Shouldn't you already know that, little miss future-seer?" I asked. She stuck her tongue out at me.

I gasped and put my hands over my heart. I impersonated my old etiquette teacher's voice. "A lady of your rank and age should know better than to behave like that!" I mad my eyes go wide and pretended to have a seizure.

We both tried not to, but by the time Jasper showed up-having heard his wife's voice in the parking lot-we were both on the ground in hysterics.

Finally, I managed to gasp out a coherent sentence. "No, Alice. I'm not leaving. I think I can get used to his scent, besides, I couldn't stay away that long and his scent isn't going to get any better over time. I might as well just suffer."

Jasper raised a quizzical eyebrow at Alice.

"Care to explain?"

Alice glanced at me for permission to explain. I nodded. Jasper would understand. Besides, Jasper, Alice, and I were like a clique. We understood each other better than anyone else. It was like we could read each other's minds sometimes.

"Okay," Alice began, "You know all the rumors about the new kid…"

EPOV

After that particularly eventful biology class, nothing else happened out of the ordinary that day. I went home that night, ate dinner with Charlie, and then went to bed.

I dreamt of black stares and scowls.

*~*~*

I woke up the next morning feeling refreshed. I had slept surprisingly well. I had a better outlook on my day. The only part I was worried about was seeing Isabella again. I didn't understand why she hated me so much. Maybe she was so sick that she had to stay home today.

But even I knew I was grasping at straws. She hadn't even been sick yesterday. Oh well.

I walked outside and jumped into my truck. It took forever to get to school, but I was grateful. Now I had to hurry to class and didn't have to worry about running into Jessica. Ugh, talk about clingy.

**A/N: Okay, so there's my next chapter. I know it's shorter than the last, but it was the best stopping point. Sorry. I'm hoping to get another update in tomorrow, but no promises. You all rock. I already have 6 reviews, and that's a lot for me. Thanks all my awesome readers. Just one more thing, I'm going to be skipping a lot of the fluff that they have in the book. It's way too boring to write.**


	3. Chapter 3

EPOV

You know how time slows when you're waiting for something?

Well it flies by when you don't want it to. It seemed like minutes after I had gotten to school that I was leaving lunch and heading to Biology.

I was practically quivering by the time I got there. I knew it was sad, but there was something about Isabella that really scared me. Maybe I was just a wimp.

I walked through the door and was relieved to see that she wasn't here yet. I walked to my seat and put my stuff down. Soon she walked in, making her graceful way towards her seat.

I pretended to be uninterested in her as she sat down. I was sure she hated me, and I didn't want her to see how much that hurt.

So I was quite surprised when I felt a feather-light touch on my shoulder. I whirled around and saw Isabella watching me, her golden eyes dancing. Wait…_golden_?

I clearly remembered how black her eyes had been yesterday. But it wasn't like I could ask her about it. I hadn't said a word to her yet.

Besides, there was no way I could focus with her looking like that. Just looking at her made my heart stutter. Her grin widened as if she could hear it.

"Hello." She said, her voice like golden bells. Light, breezy, and beautiful. I couldn't think clearly.

"Hi." I managed.

"I'm Isabella Cullen. I'm sorry I didn't get to introduce myself yesterday. I wasn't feeling well." She smiled as if enjoying a private joke.

"I'm Edward Masen. I just moved here." She laughed at that, and I almost hit myself on the forehead. Of course I was new. It was a tiny town. Everyone knew everyone.

"It's nice to have the pleasure of meeting you Mr. Masen." She said, eyes sparkling with amusement. It looked as if she were going to shake my hand for a second, but then thought better of it.

"So," She began cautiously, suddenly endearingly shy, "Why did you move here? Or is that too personal? I would totally understand. I just-" I cut her off by laughing.

"Don't worry. It's not personal at all. My mom got remarried and so I came here to give her some alone time with her new husband."

"Do you like it here?" She asked, honestly.

"Not really." It was a serious understatement. I hated this place, however, my outlook had been moving slightly for the better in the last hour.

"Then why did you come?" She didn't mean it in a mean way, I could tell.

"Well I know it sounds like I was all self-sacrificing and all, but if you've ever been stuck in a house of newlyweds you'd understand."

"I know exactly what you mean." She said, looking at me with pity.

"So I moved out." I finished lamely. I wished my story was a little more interesting. It was so normal. But Isabella was looking at me like it was the most interesting thing that she'd ever heard.

"What?" I asked, suddenly self-conscious.

"Nothing," she said, catching me off guard with her brilliant smile.

"So you must be new here," I started, trying desperately to get the topic off me, "What's your story?"

"What makes you think I'm new here?" She asked, teasing.

"Well, there seems to still be a lot of gossip going on about you all, judging by how much people talk about you. If you had been born here, people would be used to you." I smiled, and then realized how much of a jerk I had been. I had been totally showing off, like my logic was something special.

Cautiously, I looked up. I was afraid that I had said something wrong and that she would go back to hating me.

So I was caught completely off guard when I looked up to see her smiling hugely at me.

"You're very observant aren't you?" She said, still smiling at me, with her black eyes. Wait, they were black now? Was I going insane or were her eyes really changing color?

I was about to ask when she interrupted me. Not that I minded.

"Well, I believe that your logic has earned you a right to hear my story. I'm seventeen. I'm adopted. When I was seven, my parents and my best friend Alice's parents went out to dinner. They left us with a nanny. We were having fun, but the restaurant they were at had a shoot-out.

"We both became orphans that day. We went to an orphanage. It was two years before a couple coming through wanted to adopt Alice. She refused to leave without me since we had been friends since birth. So they adopted both of us. They had already adopted Rosalie, Emmett, and Jasper.

"Alice fit in right away. She's a real people person. She loved fashion like Rose. She was energetic and crazy like Emmett and she immediately fell in love with Jasper, literally. She and I were already best friends. Esme and Carlisle loved her and so she loved them right back.

"I had a little more trouble fitting in. It just takes me a little longer to get comfortable with new people. At first Rose didn't like me, and if she didn't like me, Emmett…well he didn't hate me, he can't hat anyone, but he generally avoided me.

"Jasper liked me, because we're both kind of reclusive. Alice and I had been friends from the start, so there was no need to worry about that. I was grateful to Carlisle and Esme, but still avoided them.

"It took her a while, but Alice convinced me to come out of my shell. Jasper started to like me even more, because I was friendly but calm. It was a nice break from Alice and Emmett.

"Esme and Carlisle had always loved me and now I loved them right back. They had saved me.

"Emmett and I hit it off right away after that. He was like the protective older brother I never had. He and Jasper.

"It took Rose a little time to warm up to me, but now she's tied with Alice for my best friend. She's fiercely loyal and supports me no matter what. She's an awesome older sister. She and Alice know me better than anyone else.

"And that's my story." She said, taking a deep breath. Her eyes seemed to lighten in color and she looked incredibly pleased about something.

Just then Mr. Banner asked Isabella a question. She turned to the front and answered easily. Well, I guess I wouldn't have to worry about that whole copying thing. She was smart. I honestly hadn't even noticed class had started.

And then the bell rang.

Wow. Had I been that out of it? We had talked all class and I hadn't even noticed class had started in the first place. What was wrong with me? No girl before Isabella had had this kind of an effect on me. It was really starting to scare me.

I walked out of class with my head still in the clouds. Gym was going to suck.

**A/N: There you go. It was pretty long don't you think? I love this part. Yes, this story will move A LOT faster than Twilight.**

**cyber hugs**

**~school-is-my-purgatory**


	4. Chapter 4

BPOV

I walked out of the class and realized that I was floating about and inch off the ground. Great. I had to get myself down before anyone noticed. I was too euphoric. I needed Jas-

"I'm right here Bella." Jasper laughed, appearing at my elbow.

"This is not a laughing matter." I said, pointing down at my feet.

"You're absolutely right." He replied, but I could tell that he was holding back laughter. I didn't blame him, it was kind of funny. Especially since the humans didn't notice a thing.

Jasper placed a hand on my shoulder. I felt my happy mood drain away slightly. I was sad to feel it go, but it was necessary. Besides, I would be home soon, and my moods didn't fade fast. I would be able to recapture my euphoria.

Me feet touched the ground.

"Okay, so it's a little bit funny." I relented, and Jasper cracked a smile. He loved being around me because I was always so calm yet happy. Well, usually.

"Thanks Jazz. I don't know what I would do without you." He just smiled and walked off to his next class. I sighed and started to walk to Spanish.

I could definitely see how Alice would think I would fall in love with this boy. One conversation and I was floating, literally.

"Told you so." Alice sang as she joined me. We had Spanish together.

"I never doubted you." I said, looking back at her.

"You guys are sooo cute together." She said. "I haven't even seen you together in person yet, and you know how different it is."

I smiled at her. Jasper had only taken away enough of my happiness so I wouldn't be floating anymore. I was still very happy.

"Oh, and thanks for sending Jazz." I said.

"No problem. And you know he doesn't mind." She said smiling back. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say it was you he's in love with. And I think he still wants a chance to scare Edward."

"Not yet." I replied, still not miffed in the slightest. I was always happy, "I've officially talked to him all of once. He wouldn't understand."

"Okay, well just hurry up and make him your boyfriend soon. You know that the longer you wait the worse it will be."

"Yeah, I know." I replied, smiling back at her. Jasper and Emmett were way too protective of me. Usually it came in handy, but today I was finding it annoying.

"Come on, class is starting. We have to stop talking." She whispered to me.

"No it's okay." I said, "I got it."

So we talked for a little while. About how we were surprised that Rosalie wasn't mad at me even though she knew I was going to fall in love with a human boy. We both agreed that it was probably because we were so close and she just wanted me to be happy. Sure she wasn't happy about it, but she would be in a few days at most. She just had to come around. Alice made sure of it.

Alice made me tell her about every detail of the conversation we had, and I admitted that I was a little bit mortified that I had spilled my whole life story to him. Well, I'd shared every detail of the _public_ story. If he heard the real one, he'd be off and running in seconds.

We talked about how I had been so fascinated by this boy that I hadn't even really noticed my thirst.

We talked about how happy Esme and Carlisle were. How Esme had been worried that I would never fall in love. How Carlisle had been sad to see me alone all these years, considering that I was the second oldest in the family.

We talked about how Emmett was going to be teasing me incessantly for the next few years, and how happy Jasper was for me. We talked about how he would have to be near me at all times because I was going to be so happy.

She told me how happy she was for me and was just about to start complaining about how many people she had to watch now when Senora Galls walked up.

"¿Asumo que usted tiene una razón buena para hablar en mi clase?" She asked, raising an eyebrow. _I assume you have a good reason for talking in my class?_

"We are talking in your class." I began, looking right into her eyes, "And that is perfectly okay." I willed her to agree.

"Of course." She said, somewhat dazed. She stumbled back to the front of the class. I grinned at Alice.

She stuck her tongue out. "Useful thing that is."

I chuckled and turned back to the front of the classroom.

EPOV

I embarrassed myself in gym again. My thoughts were filled with Isabella. I didn't understand why I couldn't get her out of my head. Half the problem was that I didn't want her out of my head in the first place.

I didn't even realize that I was in my car until I was halfway home. This was getting dangerous. If it wasn't already.

And that was another problem. There was something unnatural about Isabella. I didn't know what was yet, but I was planning on finding out.

Her eyes changed color. She had violent mood swings, but they weren't as if just one little thing set her off, it was as if she just had three times as long as the rest of us to think it through.

I walked into the house, focusing much more than usual to stay in the present moment.

I had to make dinner.

I had been planning on making something complicated to waste some time, but I had a feeling that I should be staying away from knives today, so I called up a pizza place.

It would have to do.

I walked upstairs to my room. I didn't know what I was planning on doing. I had some homework. I could do that.

I walked to my stereo and turned on some music. It blasted out of my speakers and made it hard to form any coherent thought.

Then I started on my homework. It's probably sad that I could think better with this noise than without it. That I was so focused on Isabella that I needed this to do homework.

I tried to do my math but kept getting distracted by the music. I'd heard this song a thousand times, yet I could swear that there was a new backup singer. I was shocked that I hadn't noticed it before as she had an amazing voice.

*~*~*

I eventually finished my homework and by then Charlie was home. We ate pizza and then I went upstairs to get ready for bed. I took a shower and turned off my stereo. It wasn't until I was almost asleep that I realized I didn't know what I had been listening to in the first place.

**A/N: So yes, Alice already told everyone that Bella was going to fall for him. She knew that everyone but Rosalie would be fine with it, and that Rosalie would come around. She knew that Bella would never bet against her and that she would just accept it, so there you go.**

**~School-is-my-purgatory**


	5. Chapter 5

BPOV

Spanish let out soon enough and Alice and I laughed all the way to the car. I couldn't even remember what was so funny. I just liked to laugh. Jasper must be having some trouble keeping me on the ground.

We all got in the Volvo and I drove off towards home. I couldn't wait 'til Jasper let me have all of my happiness back.

Before long we were pulling up the driveway and into the garage.

"Oh Jasper!" I smiled, tapping him on the shoulder "Is there something you're forgetting?"

"What do you mean little sister?" He teased, smiling down at me.

I stuck my tongue out at him.

"Fine," He said, not hiding his amusement, "but only because you asked so nicely."

"Thanks!" He stopped mellowing my feelings and I was euphoric once again. I smiled my vampire-perfect smile at him.

"Come on Bella, Let's go inside."

"Okay." I agreed, running inside.

Esme was sitting on the couch, sketching in her notebook.

"Hello Esme!" I said, smiling at her. She smiled back.

Already joining me in my happiness, she laughed. "What brought this on?"

"I think you know the answer to that question."

"Ah, so it was the boy."

"Not just any boy," I corrected, "Edward Masen."

"Wow, looks like someone's finally lost it." Emmett lost, walking into the room. "I can't remember the last time I saw you happy. And we just got back from school, so it must have happened there. Well, I'm stumped." He sat down on a chair and I laughed at him.

"Oh like you didn't just hear the conversation. Come on baby brother, don't insult my intelligence." I sat down on the armrest, or a foot above it.

"I talked to him today." I said, dropping the news. Esme smiled at me in a way that said well-that-explains-all-this-i-was-afraid-you-were-like-this-after-just-being-in-his-presence-and-then-we-would-have-a-problem-on-our-hands. It was a very long look. Emmett just laughed at my enthusiasm.

I wanted to be here when Carlisle came home, but I didn't think I could wait that long. I needed to see him now.

"I just thought of something. I'll be back later. Esme, you tell Carlisle what happened. Emmett you can help." I called, running out the door.

I ran out of the house and headed down to the home of the police chief. I had heard the Edward was his son. Sure enough, when I got to the house I could smell him all over. I heard music blasting from one of the rooms and climbed up into one of the lower branches of the tree next to a window.

I listened for a while before I started singing along, singing as a background singer would so he hopefully wouldn't notice. I loved this song and was pleasantly surprised to see that it wasn't any kind of that horrible excuse for music that humans called rap.

Eventually I peeked through the window to see Edward on the floor doing his homework. He was the one listening to the music. I didn't understand why he needed to listen to his music so loud but I was fine with it. I was just worried about what it would do to his hearing.

I watched for a little while longer before I heard his father coming down the street. I jumped down and ran.

I ran back home and found her in the garage just like I had hoped.

"Rose?" I asked as I walked up.

"What? Oh, hey Bella." She said, rolling out from under her red convertible.

"I was hoping you could help me," I said, my tone just slightly teasing. "You see, I was going to ask Emmett to help me but he said no and I just wanted to know if maybe you could-"

I was purposely babbling and she knew it. "Bella," she cut in, "Just spit it out."

"Well, yesterday I decided that I needed a car besides the Volvo since that one fits in so well and so I got one and wondered if you wanted to come get it with me and then help me fix it up with all the extras?"

She got an excited glint in her eyes, but tried to hide it. "You're just trying to make up for the fact that you're falling for a human."

"Oh come on, you did too. You fell for Emmett before he was changed."

"That's different. I was about to change him then."

"Well, you know you sort of understand, and you also know that you _really_ want to know what car I got and to help me fix it up."

She smiled at me. "Okay, fine. What car did you get?"

"Only a black Porsche Panamera 955!" I said, knowing she wouldn't be able to resist. **(A/N: Sorry if you guys don't like this car for some strange reason, but I absolutely LOVE it! I have a picture on my profile, if you want to go look, but it's what it looks like after Bella and Rose get the tuning packages and fix it up.)**

Her eyes were shining and she couldn't hold in a squeal. "How much was it? Did you get the tuning packages?"

"Rose!" I said, pretending to be aghast, "The tuning packages aren't even out yet. You should know that…of course I got them." Ah, vampire charm and money made life so easy.

She laughed and I had a feeling that she wasn't mad at me anymore.

"When are we going to get it?"

"I was thinking right now. It's all the way in Seattle because they didn't ship to Forks and I want to drive it back anyway. I was thinking that we would run there so we can take turns driving and riding on the way home."

"You're going to let me drive it?" She asked, disbelief coloring her tone.

"Of course, you need to know what we need to fix." I looked at her like it was obvious.

"Come on. I'm not complaining or anything, but you're the one who taught me about cars in the first place. You still know way more than me."

"Well then do you suggest I drive it all the way home?" I teased.

"No!"

"I thought not. Let's go, I want to get there before the place closes so we can get started on it tonight."

Without another word, she was out of the garage and running. I laughed and caught up. I had always been the fastest person in my family.

"You know, this boy might be good for you after all." She said, turning towards me.

I almost tripped, but tried to remain casual.

"You've certainly changed your tune quickly."

"Well it's just that you were so happy when you came home and then just out in the garage. You laughed more in those fifteen minutes than you usually do in a month. He's already changed you, and you've only known him for two days. Think of how happy you'll be in a month, or a year."

I smiled at her, not needing words to tell her how much it meant to me that she was okay with Edward. She was one of my best friends, but he was my life. I didn't want to have to lose her.

We ran in silence for a while, just enjoying the feeling. It wasn't until I could see the lights in the distance that she talked again.

"Have you written a song about it?" she asked, turning to me, yet not faltering in her stride.

"Not yet. I've got a tune running through my head, but I want to know him better before I try to pin him down in music. I might write one about how I'm feeling, just being near him, knowing him. I could start tonight."

That was another thing about me. I expressed my feelings best in music. I would write down my feelings and then I would use my power and put it in a girl named Alicia Bell's brain at night. In the morning she would get this urge to write and she would sit down and write a song.

And that brings me to my power. I had been really ruled by my emotions when I was human, and when I became a vampire it got amplified. Any time I felt an emotion strongly, it would come on. I had spent years learning to control my emotions.

When I was happy I would float, the height depending on how happy I was.

When I was sad, well you better hope there's a steam or river nearby or I cause a huge rainstorm. If there is a river or stream, it starts flowing really fast. Gushing, actually.

When I was bored, it would get really windy. No one really got that one, but I'm not complaining.

When I was in love…well we didn't know yet, but I had a feeling we would find out.

When I was mad, well you better hope you're not standing near me. I could make things explode or catch on fire, glass would shatter, you get the point. It also let me move things with my mind.

If I really wanted something, I could control someone's mind. This was how I always got my mind.

There were other emotions too, not so prominent. They were the ones you hardly noticed. Amusement, aggravation, fascination, the list goes on.

Or at least, that's how it started. Now, I could do all that even if I wasn't feeling those emotions. I also amplified my powers if I want to. I can get my happiness one to work so well that I can actually fly. Plants responded to my emotions. People nearby felt what I felt.

And I had control over just about all the elements. I could control water from sadness, fire from anger, and air from boredom and happiness. I had a feeling that more would be coming. **(A/N: So that's her power. Please tell me if that's too confusing. I'll try to explain it better if it is. It's just a hard power to explain.)**

So that's how I gave other people my songs. They always hit the top of the charts quickly and Alicia got rich. We already had enough money, and I didn't want to be famous. But sometimes I got irked.

"I wish humans were faster. I write this beautiful music and then I have to go and slow it _way_ down before I send it to Alicia. The music looses all of its feeling. Suddenly it's not the music so much as the words that determine what the song's about. If Edward ever hears in on the radio, he won't know what it really means." I ranted.

"Why don't you play the original version for him when he comes over? You are going to bring him to meet Esme aren't you?"

I looked over at her, mouth slightly open.

"Rose…you are a genius!"

She smiled at me and I smiled vigorously back.

We had arrived by now and we walked into the airport where all my packages had been requested to stay. We walked up to the customer help desk.

"I have a delivery here for Isabella Cullen?" I said to the kind lady behind the desk. Her eyes widened slightly when I told her who I was.

"Right this way." She said, leading me to a back parking lot. I followed eagerly with Rose on my heels.

"Is this all you ordered?" She questioned, gesturing to a covered car and a large box next to it; the tuning pack.

"Yes, thank you." I said, peeking under the car cover to get a better look at my new baby. "That will be all."

She smiled her thanks and walked back in the direction of her desk.

"Oh my gosh! Rose look at this! She's totally perfect and we haven't even messed with her yet. Imagine what she'll look like when she's done."

I looked over at her and she looked like a kid at Christmas. I didn't even have to talk to her to know that she was thinking the same thing.

"It's too bad we signed that stupid agreement to never buy two of the same cars. I want one of these so bad. How could you get one before me?! I should have been keeping up with my magazines." She fake sobbed and turned away. I laughed, knowing she was joking.

"Don't worry; we'll get you a new car. I'm sure this isn't the only one out there that's good enough for you. Besides, if you help me fix it up, I'll let you drive it sometimes until you get your new car."

We smiled at each other and then I climbed in the driver's seat, knowing Rose would join me in the passenger seat.

The car purred to life and we shot out of the garage and into the night, on our way back home.

**(A/N: So there. You get an extra long chapter to make up for how long I've gone without updating. This chapter was mostly just filler, but it was really important. Please tell me if I explained her power well enough.**

**School-is-my-purgatory)**


	6. Chapter 6

EPOV

I woke up the next morning with a considerably better outlook on the day. Isabella must have actually been sick that first day. She had seemed so nice yesterday.

I quickly got dressed and ran downstairs. I grabbed a granola bar to eat in my hideous truck on the way to school and hurried outside.

I started up my truck and proceeded to crawl down the road at a whopping thirty miles per hour. I really needed to get this car fixed.

But that was the problem with growing up with only your mom. I had no clue how to fix a car or build things or anything like that. I could play the piano fairly well, but what help would that do?

Eventually I got to school and pulled up into the parking lot. Isabella wasn't here yet so I settled in to wait.

Sadly, the bell rang as soon as they arrived so I didn't get to talk to her. I would have to wait for biology.

*~*~*

My morning classes flew by. Sometime during second period it started to snow. I wasn't sure I liked the snow. I'd never seen it before.

Luckily that all changed pretty quickly. Apparently there was an epic snowball fight going on between classes and I loved it. Snowball fights gave you an excuse to chuck wet, cold balls of ice at people you don't like and then pretend that it was all a big game.

My love for snow was only growing as I walked from third period, lunchtime. Jessica had just caught up with me and was blathering on about some unimportant gossip. I was trying to tune her out when all of a sudden I heard her gasp. When I looked at her I couldn't help the laugh that escaped.

Her frizzy brown hair was now soaking wet with pieces of snow all through. There were a few twigs mixed in as well. Her hair was plastered against her face and I had a feeling she was going to be shivering in a few seconds.

She whirled around to find the culprit. The only person close enough to have thrown it was Lauren. Within seconds there was a wad of snow leaving Jessica's gloved hand. It hit spot on.

"What was that for?!" Lauren yelled, turning on Jessica.

"You threw it first!"

"No I didn't!"

"Then who did?"

"Not me!"

"Oh sure."

"You ruined my hair!"

"You ruined _my_ hair!"

I left them to their bickering and walked towards the lunchroom. Oh how I didn't want to sit with them today. But there were no empty tables in the lunchroom. Ugh.

So I spent lunch watching the Cullens from afar. They really were interesting. It was strange though; they weren't eating any food. Not that I blamed them. Cafeteria food was just nasty.

Before I knew it the bell ran and I was heading for Biology.

I heard Isabella before I saw her. Her enchanting laugh was floating out the door when I walked in.

I looked around and saw her standing next to her desk with her sister. Alice, I think it was. They seemed to just be finishing up as I walked in.

"Bye Bella," I heard Alice say, then, "Oh, hi Edward." She waved cheerily and then was out the door.

"Don't worry, you get used to it." I heard a voice say behind me. I whirled around to find the object of my obsession standing behind me.

"Isabella!" I said happily. She made a face. "What? What did I do wrong?" I was desperate. I didn't want her to go back to the way she was when I first got here.

"Gosh! Calm down!" She smiled jokingly, "I just don't like my friends to call me Isabella. Ugh. It's way too proper and fancy sounding. Please, call me Bella."

I smiled. We were friends. Some how I wanted more, but you take what you can get right? Just then Mr. Banner walked in and we were forced to sit down. Today we were doing a partner experiment. It was on cell mitosis. **(A/N: I think that's what it was. I don't have my book on me.)** I would work with Bella.

As she started to sit down, I caught sight of a glint of silver. She had the prettiest bracelet I'd ever seen on her wrist. **(A/N: pic on profile.)**

We sat down and got to work. I had already done this in Phoenix so I was just showing off a little. The first question took only a few seconds, but Bella got hers faster. Wow she was smart.

We finished in five minutes. Most people were still stuck on the first question.

"So, where was Jessica when you came into lunch? I could have sworn she was walking with you."

"I'd rather not be a part of two girls getting into a yelling fight."

She covered her smile with her hand. "What happened?"

"Well, I was walking to lunch and Jessica caught up to me. Then someone threw a snowball at her and she got covered in ice. She was so mad. She turned around and saw Lauren and was sure it was her, so she threw a snowball at her. Then Lauren said it wasn't her, and they got in a huge yelling fight. I don't even think they noticed when I walked away."

At this she started laughing uncontrollably. She managed to gasp out sentences between laughs.

"So, you're sure she thought it was Lauren, and she threw one at her?"

"Yes."

"Oh yeah! Emmett owes me ten bucks!" She giggled, and I stared at her incomprehensively, feeling like I was missing something. It took me a few minute while she looked on, amused.

Finally I got it.

"You threw the snowball and _bet_ on what would happen afterward?" I was kind of shocked. I never thought she would be into bets.

"You left out the part where I _won_." She teased lightly, looking like an angel. I noticed her eyes were light butterscotch again. A friend could ask her about her eyes right?

"What are you thinking about?" She inquired, peering adorably at my face.

"I was wondering if you had gotten contacts." I said, looking at her eyes.

"Nope." She said, popping the 'p'. "I doubt you could improve my eyesight. It's absolutely perfect."

"So then why are your eyes a different color?" I challenged, knowing that I was right. Her eyes _were_ changing color.

"My eyes do change color. I'm surprised you noticed; few do. I don't know why they change color. I guess it's just the lighting. My whole family has it. Maybe it's some sort of disease? I've tried to find out, but haven't yet."

She was an amazing liar. I almost believed her, and I can almost always tell when someone's lying. In fact, I was amazed she could convince me even this much, and I could tell that she wasn't really trying her hardest. The thing was I was still getting the impression that she was thinking about things a hundred times faster than the rest of us. I had a feeling that behind her carefully composed mask, her mind had been racing a million miles an hour.

But why would someone lie about their eye color?

She was such a mystery. Everything about her was intriguing; from her amazing looks to her changing eye colors to her amazing cleverness.

I was hopelessly addicted, and that scared me.

BPOV

I couldn't believe he had noticed. I'd lived with humans for the past ninety years, and not a single person had noticed.

But Edward was so different.

So naturally, I hadn't been expecting this. It threw me off my game. Usually I can lie really well, but I had no time to prepare for such an unexpected question.

He seemed to be thinking very hard on something. He had a little crease between his eyes and I could see him muttering words to himself so quietly that even I couldn't hear him.

"What are you thinking now?" I asked, looking right in his eyes. He seemed reluctant to look up.

Eventually he raised his head, but his eyes were carefully guarded. I wondered why.

He didn't seem to be in the mood to share. I decided he needed a little extra encouragement. If that didn't work, I would have to start using my power.

"Please?" I whispered, employing my vampire charm. I looked right into his eyes and tried to let him see that I wouldn't judge him even if he said something completely random. I couldn't. I was already head over heels. Before long I would have trouble hiding my feelings. I just hope he falls in love with me soon.

His eyes seemed to go unfocused for a second, but he managed to hold onto his resolve. I smirked. So he was stubborn too.

"Edward," I started, making sure to look right in his eyes, "please tell me what you were thinking." I wasn't using my power. Yet.

"I'm just wondering why you would lie to me about something so small as your eye color." He said, his voice was quieter than normal. Then he seemed to snap out of his trance.

"Oh, I'm so sorry! I don't know why I told you that. You probably have a perfectly good reason for lying. Sorry."

I wasn't surprised when he saw through it. There had been nothing convincing about my lie.

I broke off when I realized he was still looking at me yet at the same time the floor. What the heck.

"Edward, I know this is going to sound really weird. My eyes change color when I'm hungry. I know; it's weird, it's freaky, but that's it." I looked into his eyes to judge his reaction. He didn't seem freaked out, he was just looking at me like he was trying to tell if I was lying or not.

"You're not lying? That doesn't make sense. It's not logical."

I smirked. "Edward, if we're going to be friends, you're going to have to get used to the fact that illogical things are just a part of my life. Now can we please change the subject?"

I could tell he didn't really want to drop it, but he would just have to deal. This subject was closed. Alice would be furious as it was.

After that we just talked about mundane things until the bell rang. I walked out of happy, but not floating. He would figure it all out soon.

I had just stepped out the door when I was pulled aside and back behind a building. I looked to see a little pixie shoving me towards a random destination. I knew I was in for it.

"What were you thinking?" she hissed in my ear, once we'd reached nowhere in particular.

"I was thinking that he was too observant for his own good and that he would know that I was lying. I tried lying first and he saw right through it."

"Like you were trying your hardest. So you didn't even try to convince him using your…_special_ abilities?"

"You know I don't like to do that. It makes me feel guilty."

"Well…" she trailed off. I knew she hated to make me do things that made me guilty. She was me best friend after all.

"Look, I'm sorry. I didn't want to tell him…well, that's a lie. I wanted to tell him more than I've wanted just about anything else. But I didn't, right? I just gave him a hint. Besides, I feel guilty when I use it on complete strangers. How do you think I would feel if I used it on a boy I'm supposed to fall in love with?"

"Okay, okay. I'm sorry. I don't know what came over me. He will still take just as long to figure it out. Sorry."

"Hey, it's fine." I said, smiling at her. We walked out from behind the building and headed for Spanish class.

EPOV

Okay, this was driving me insane.

I had watched her as she told me what was going on. There was no hint of a lie in her eyes or voice. She must have been telling the truth.

But that was impossible.

There was no way that her eyes could change color when she was hungry. It just didn't make sense.

Why would it be like that anyway? The first day I saw her, her eyes were pitch black. But we had just come from lunch. She shouldn't be hungry.

And then there was the way that every now and then, she'd breath in and her eyes would go dark. I didn't understand that bit. Why would breathing make someone hungry?

I was so focused that I fell down at least three times in gym.

I walked out to the parking lot and got in my car after gym. I had to go make dinner again and I had a lot of homework.

I think that Charlie realized something was up, but he didn't comment.

I went to bed that night still puzzling over this. It was driving me insane, and if I were to believe everything she said, I had a feeling that this wouldn't be the last time this happened.

*~*~*

I stepped out the door the next day only to see that the world was covered in ice. I slid over to my car and climbed in, trying not to die.

The roads were no match for my truck as I drove to school, and I made it there in record time. I was just getting out when I saw Bella pulling in to a parking space seven down from mine. I walked over to talk to her.

"How are you today?" I asked, smiling.

She looked up and smiled one of her best smiles.

"Great! Today's my last day before I take a long weekend. Emmett, Jasper, and I are going camping."

"In this cold weather?" I asked, questioning her sanity.

"That's when it's the most fun. Besides, you get used to the cold really fast. Don't worry about me."

I brushed it off, and was about to ask another question why I heard a horrible screaming noise.

Bella was suddenly looking at me with a look of horror and acceptance. I looked up in time to see a huge van hurtling towards us. The next thing I knew, I was on the ground, with Bella next to me. The van was still coming towards us and we weren't low enough to go under.

I think I heard Bella swear, but I couldn't be sure. Suddenly her hands shot out and caught the car as it was about to hit us. She shoved it away.

She shoved it _away_.

Little Bella who, let's be honest here, had little to no muscle mass, had just shoved a van out of its path, effectively stopping it. With her bare hands.

There was no way I was imagining it this time. Bella was not just abnormal, she was nonhuman. There was no other explanation.

Now I just had to get her to admit it. But that was going to be easier said than done. She seemed to be even more stubborn than me, and that was a rare occurrence. So now I needed a strategy.

Before I could think about it however, she turned to me, looking extremely worried.

"Are you okay? Did I hurt you when I pushed you down?"

"Bella you saved my life and you're wondering if I got a little scratch?" I figured now was a good time to see how willing she would be to give up details and to figure out what her alibi was.

"Wait, we were going to get crushed anyway," I said, pretending to be confused, "but you pushed it out of the way?" I wondered if I was laying it on a little too thick.

"No I didn't," she insisted, "Are you sure you didn't hit your head? I simply pushed you down and we were extremely lucky to have landed where the van didn't crush us. Maybe you should come to the hospital?"

"No, there's no need. I know exactly what I saw."

"Well if what you saw was me pushing a car away from the two of us with my bare hands, then this is way more serious than I thought."

It was only then that I heard the screaming, from both ambulance and person.

I propped myself up and tried to give myself a little more room in the small space we had. I didn't mind being that close, but she was cold! I saw handprints in a dent in the car; more evidence that I was right.

We waited together as the EMTs tried to move the car out of the way.

Eventually they got it and Bella stood up, offering me a hand. I took it only to feel an electric current running through my body. I gasped and so did Bella. So she had felt it too.

Quickly, and struggling for composure, Bella pulled me up and took me to the nearest EMT.

"Sir," she said politely, "Edward here was part of the crash and I think he may have hit his head. He seems to hallucinating. Please, could you take him with you for Carlisle to check up? I'll come too."

I could tell he was about to say no until she added that last part. She could manipulate anyone here without even knowing she was doing it. Or maybe she was completely aware of it.

I was jerked rudely out of my thoughts when they put a neck brace on me. Ugh. I usually didn't care what people thought of me, but this was ridiculous. I watched with fury as Bella walked up and sat in the front of the ambulance while they led me to the back.

**A/N: Okay, so that is the longest chapter I've ever posted. Sorry that it took so long to update, I joined track and don't have much free time anymore. I decided that I'll do one of those review count things, so here goes.**

**I will not update until I have an overall total of 30 reviews. I'll activate anomous reviewers so all you can review and then I'll update.**

**Until then,**

**~school-is-my-purgatory**


	7. Chapter 7

BPOV

Okay. That was stupid. That was really stupid.

But what else could I have done? I loved this man, and he was going to find out sooner or later. Besides, maybe we could convince him that he had just hit his head.

Maybe we could buy a little more time before the screaming and running step.

*~*~*

When we got to the hospital, I could feel his glare burning a hole in my back as I walked inside.

He had to get rolled in on a cart.

I wanted to stay and make sure he was okay, but I needed to get to Carlisle before he did. I needed to do damage control.

So I left him there-not trusting the EMTs but knowing I had to go anyway, that people would get suspicious if I suddenly started telling them what to do and knowing more than a 17-year-old girl should.

I walked quickly down the hallways, nodding politely at the doctors I knew and ignoring the persistent smell of spilt blood that layered the air. How did Carlisle do it?

I sped up a little bit.

Soon I was standing outside his office. I knocked quickly on the door and let myself in without waiting for an answer.

He glanced up from his work.

"Bella? What are you doing out of school?"

"Edward had an accident. There was a car that went out of control on the ice."

"Is he okay?" he asked, but I knew he meant something different. _Are you okay?_ He knew how it could ruin a vampire to lose their mate. He had seen it in Marcus of the Volturi.

He didn't want that to happen to me.

"Edward is fine," I started, looking into his eyes. "I pushed him out of the way in time."

I could tell he was still confused.

"If you pushed him out of the way in time, then why are we here?"

"I'm worried about him. I think he might have hit his head. He seems to be seeing things. He's sure he saw me push the car away with my bare hands when it was about to squash us. He also says he saw handprint shaped dents in the side of the car while we were waiting for the EMTs to move it."

I told him with my eyes that this was indeed what had happened.

"Well it seems I have a patient to check on." He said, standing up.

I followed him out the door and down the hall. When we got to the door, I walked in ahead of him, ignoring my siblings who were waiting for me with expressions ranging from joy to anger. Luckily Rose had accepted him before this, or I would be in for it.

EPOV

After Bella disappeared into the hospital, they wheeled me down to get an x-ray and then took me to a room. I didn't understand why I couldn't just walk.

I had only been in the room for a few minutes before the door creaked open. I looked up to see Bella and was glad I had ditched the neck brace as soon as there was any down time.

She was looking adorably shy and cautious and I found it hard to believe that was is the same girl that had just stopped a car with her bare hands. I knew she would try to talk me out of it, but she was going to find out that I was rather stubborn.

"Hello Bella." I said, rather grumpily. Here I was, strapped to a bed while she got to walk around on her own power. I think she caught on.

"Hello Edward." She said, walking over to the plant on the window sill and trying to tease some life back into the plant. It was a lost cause. The leaves were brown and drooping. There were no flowers or buds or anything.

She sighed and sat down at the edge of my bed.

"So, here's my assessment: You seem perfectly fine other than an obvious bump on your head. You are stuck here in a dreary room filled with dead plants while you can clearly walk. You want to get up, but are forbidden to until seen by a doctor. Am I right?"

"Well, you are about everything but the bump. I'm completely fine."

She frowned then, only a slight change in the set of her mouth. I wondered what secret could be so important that she couldn't tell anyone.

Just then, the door opened and a man walked in.

He had golden hair and pale white skin. He had to be a Cullen. Sure enough, when I looked up, I saw the trademark golden eyes.

"Carlisle." Bella acknowledged. Even though the encounter was entirely professional, you could see the love and respect between them.

"Hello Dr. Cullen," I said, "Are you coming to tell me I can go, because I can assure you that I am perfectly fine. I have not been experiencing any dizziness, nausea, hallucinations, or anything of the sort." I was trying to figure out what he already knew.

He smiled at me, and then shared an amazingly fast glance with Bella. So she had already filled him in on my 'condition'.

"Well, if you are sure, Mr. Masen. I just need to give you a quick check-up and then we'll be done."

I sat while he looked at the x-rays and looked at my chart.

"Well, it seems you are fine. Here is some medication to take if you start to experience pain, and you may go." He said, smiling.

"Actually Dr. Cullen, I need to talk to your daughter for a second."

"Oh, by all means." He gestured towards the door. The action was all casual, but I could tell that underneath all that, he was nervous. I wondered why it was so easy to read everyone but Bella.

Bella got up in a huff and walked towards the door, gesturing for me to follow.

We walked down the hall until we came to an empty part. She whirled around to face me.

"What do you need to talk about?" She didn't look angry, more innocent.

"I want to know what happened. I want to know why I'm going to have to go home and lie to my own father about what happened out there."

I saw a flicker of guilt on her face, but then it was gone. "I don't know what you're talking about. I pushed you out of the way and then we got lucky. Why would you have to lie about that?"

I pinched the bridge of my nose. Why couldn't anything be easy?

"Bella, please don't lie to me. I know you're an amazing liar, and I'm not sure if that's something you're proud of or not, but please don't lie to me. Normally I would believe you, but I know what I saw. Don't try to talk me out of it. Besides, it's so much easier to keep a secret if you have one other person you can talk to. One other person who knows what happened."

She whispered something that sounded suspiciously like 'don't I know it.', but I couldn't be sure.

"Look Edward, you don't want to be part of this. Part of my world. I hate that I have to keep you out of this, but that's just how it is. You wouldn't be able to keep up. I want you there, but I don't want to put you in danger, so I can't explain. I will however, admit that the encounter with the car was not all luck."

I stood there, shocked that she had finally admitted that I was right. Well, she had implied it, but I had a feeling that was the point. If she didn't actually tell me, it couldn't be traced back to her.

I knew that she wouldn't be in the mood to talk anymore, so I started walking down to the waiting room. As I walked past the room they had put me in, I peeked in, then stopped all together.

I clearly remembered how I had thought that the plant on the window sill was a lost cause. I remember how dead it had looked. Its leaves had been so brown they were almost black.

But looking at it now, you never would have guessed. The plant was a vibrant green. The leaves were lime green and shooting outwards. The plant was covered with beautiful yellow lilies. **(A/N: You know who did it, but do you know why it's yellow lilies? Look it up, I find it funny.)**

It had been Bella again. I was absolutely sure of it. I also knew she would never tell me that she had done it unless I could figure out her secret. Time to do some research.

BPOV

I ran home as I had ridden here in the ambulance. I couldn't help but worry about what everyone's reaction to this newest development would be.

I had just stepped inside when Carlisle called a family meeting. We all filed into the dining room.

"So," Carlisle sat down at the head of the table and gestured for the rest of us to take our seats. "It seems we have a lot to discuss.

"To start it all, I would like to know if anyone has any complaints about Bella's actions today."

Rosalie raised her hand, and I was glad I had made my peace with her before this.

"What Bella did was completely irresponsible. She could have easily exposed us. She not only put herself in danger, but the rest of us in danger as well."

I stood up to defend myself. "Rose, before you continue with your accusations, I would like you to try and see it from my point of view. First, I was standing right next to him. It's completely plausible to the rest of the world that I simply pushed him out of the way.

"Second, according to Alice, Edward is already going to find out about us. At worse this simply sped up the process. Alice also says that we can trust him. He won't go telling our secret so none of us are in danger.

"But yes, at the time, none of this was going through my head. All I was thinking about was the fact that my mate was about to die. He was going to be crushed right before my eyes. I wouldn't be able to survive that. Put yourself in my shoes. If it were Emmett who was a human, about to die, would you even consider your safety when it came to saving him?"

I sat back down and Rose did too. I knew that if in my position, she would have done the same thing, and she knew it too. Carlisle stood up.

"Does anyone else have a problem with Bella's actions?" he waited. "Well then I would like to know what happened after I checked up on Edward." I stood up again.

"After Carlisle told Edward he could go, he told me he wanted to talk to me. We walked a little ways down the hallway and he confronted me, mad that I was telling him that he imagined everything. He saw the whole thing and wanted me to admit it happened. I tried for a while to talk him out of it, but he kept persisting. Finally I simply told him that the fact that we were alive was not based entirely on chance."

I sat back down and waited for the objections, but then Alice stood up.

"I would just like to say that what Bella did is fine. He will figure it out quicker, but that's all okay. Nothing bad comes of it; we just get to meet Edward sooner. Nothing else will change."

I sent her a thankful glance and she winked. No one stood up after that. They all trusted Alice.

"Okay, you can all go." Carlisle said, smiling. I stood up quickly and walked over to Alice.

"Thank you so much! Rose was going to be so mad at me. You completely saved me. To think! I'd bee worrying about this all the way home and you just come and solve everything."

"No problem, but now you owe me. Oh, and yellow lilies? I'll give you one thing; you sure know how to make a pun." I stuck my tongue out at her and walked over to Emmett.

"Guess who just won ten thousand dollars?" I asked, holding out my hand.

"No way! It worked? Jessica actually threw one at Lauren?" I nodded. "Fine, I'll transfer it to your account by Sunday." I smiled. We always took off the thousand part of our bets when talking to people outside the family. I told Edward I won ten dollars, but it was really ten thousand.

Next I walked up to Rosalie. "I found the perfect car for you."

"Really?" she whirled around, smiling.

"Yup. You should totally get the Aston Martin DB9." **(A/N: Pic on profile.)**

"You're right. It's so perfect. Why didn't I think of that?"

She followed me to the computer and we spent the rest of the night deciding on what exactly we needed to get.

*~*~*

We drove to school that day in the Volvo, even though all I wanted to do was drive my Porsche. I kept an eye out for Edward's atrocious truck as we looked for a parking space.

"Oh, Bella, don't forget that the girl's choice dance is tonight." Crap! How could I have forgotten? Alice, Rose, and I had gone shopping for our dresses three weeks ago.

"Are you going to ask Edward?" Emmett asked, smiling.

"No! He has no idea that I even like him yet. It would totally confuse him."

"What are you going to do if someone else asks him and he says yes?"

"If he truly wanted to go to the dance with whoever it is, I would be undeniably jealous, but I wouldn't hurt her because that would in turn hurt him. But yes, it would be very hard."

"Do you even think he's going at all?" Jasper asked as we got out of the car.

"Alice said that if he continues on the path he's on, he'll be there." I said, grinning at the fact that he would be there, even if it wasn't with me.

I could suddenly hear the roar of his truck from about a mile off. It was so slow.

"Hey, sounds like your boyfriend's coming. He might even be here in five minutes." Emmett said teasingly and I didn't waste my energy on hitting him. "Really though, you really need to do something about his car. I'm sure he wouldn't mind going over thirty miles per hour ever once in a while."

I grinned and stayed in the parking lot while everyone else went in. Annoying as Emmett was, he was right. I needed to do something about his car. It was going to take him forever to get here.

EPOV

I had stayed up almost the whole night researching; trying to find some sort of logical explanation to all of this. The changing eyes. The plant. The car. The amazing beauty. The fact that they never ate. I caught all kind of abnormalities about them looking back; things I never would have thought about before.

I knew Bella wasn't human. That much was obvious. The only question now is what she is. I had searched and searched and had come up with a list of possibilities. She could be a witch. She could be a werewolf. She could be an alien. She could be a superhero. She could be a super villain-though I doubted it. She could be a vampire.

All of them seemed completely ridiculous, but they were all I had to show after spending an eternity researching, so I clung to them with a vain hope.

And then she was in front of me. I jumped and her soft chuckle floated through the air like music. I smiled.

"Hello Bella."

"Why hello Mr. Masen."

I laughed and we started walking toward the door. I was dying to just come out and ask her what she was, but I had a feeling that she wouldn't be sharing.

We walked past a flyer for the girls-choice dance and I groaned. That was tonight? I was in for it. All the girls who didn't have dates yet would be desperate. I just hoped that I was unpopular enough to slip by unnoticed.

"You forgot too?" Bella asked, a slight smile on her face.

"Yeah. I'm dreading the mob of girls without dates. They're going to be desperate."

"Do you have a date?" she asked, all casual. So she honestly didn't care. She probably already had a date anyway. I tried to hide my disappointment.

"No, you?"

"Nope." she said, laughing. "I don't want a date. I always go alone and even then, only because Alice and Rose make me."

I was relieved and sad at the same time. She wasn't with someone else, but she wasn't with me either, and that was what I really wanted.

"Are you going to go alone, look for a date, or skip all together?" she questioned, completely innocent.

"I was thinking of skipping, but maybe we could go alone together?" I asked, knowing that she was going to disagree. There was no way she would want to be with me when she could have any boy in the state; the world in fact. My heart sank before she even opened her mouth.

"I'd like that." She said quietly, the slight smile turning into a full out grin. I couldn't believe it.

"I'm warning you," she said, breaking my train of thought, "Jasper always makes me save the last dance for him. But maybe we shouldn't dance anyway, since we are going alone."

I was all for that. I could dance, but it was all ballroom stuff that my mom had made me do, and without a man in the house, there had been no other option. There was probably no one else in the state who could ballroom dance, let alone in the school.

"Okay." I agreed easily, and we went on our way. I was about to head to English when she called out.

"Do you want to sit with me at lunch before Emmett, Jasper, and I leave? We were going to leave all weekend, but the dance messed up our schedule. We'll just go hiking now." That's right. She was going camping. Oh well. I had to take all the time I could get with her.

"Sure." I said smiling.

Time was kind today. Morning classes flew by and before long I was standing outside the doors that led into the cafeteria. I stepped through into the heat and felt the pleasant sting that comes when your numb fingers start to warm up.

The walk through the line took longer than I would have liked, but I was out soon enough with a tray piled high with my favorite foods, not like they would taste good anyway. The cafeteria food was terrible.

She waved at me from an empty table shoved in the corner. It was out of the way but I still felt the whole school's eyes on me as I went to go sit with her. She was beautiful as ever but didn't have tray in front of her.

"You should eat something." I said, just to see her reaction.

"No thanks. The cafeteria's food is terrible. Besides, I'm a vegetarian. You never know what they're putting in your food."

It was believable, but I wondered if she would eat anything even if we got a five star chef to cook just for us.

I shrugged it off.

"So you're going camping with your brothers?" I questioned. Her eyes-I noticed-were black again. Could it have something to do with that?

"Yeah. We're leaving after lunch. You'll have to be alone in biology."

I sighed and tried not to look too disappointed.

"So, Jasper always makes you dance with him? Doesn't Alice get jealous?" I was teasing her; trying to lighten the atmosphere.

"Yeah, I'm sure she's _green_ with envy." She laughed. I think she asked me something, but I was too caught up in the sound of her voice.

"Come on Baby Bella. Don't think that just 'cause you've got a little crush that you can ignore your family." She looked like she would be blushing if she could, but I was glowing with pleasure. Her brother thought she had a crush on me. Even if it wasn't true, it was still enough to make my day. Bella sighed.

"I guess I have to go. See you Edward." She stood fluidly from the chair and walked over to where Jasper was waiting for her with Emmett. They walked out the door together.

BPOV

I was sitting in my new car, flying over the roads. I was happy, yet there was still a part of me that just wanted to turn around.

"Come on Bella. We've been planning this for weeks. Don't let the boy ruin it." Emmett was sitting next to me and whining.

"His name is Edward." I said, but smiled so he would know I was joking.

"Bella, we shortened this trip for you. We couldn't care less if we go to the dance or not, except maybe Alice. We're staying close to home, with all the boring animals. You need to get your head out of the clouds."

I sighed, knowing that if I didn't give up soon, Jasper would join.

We parked at the end of the road and got out of the car. We started off down the trail until we were out of sight and then turned off into the forest.

"Meet back here in four hours." Jasper said, taking control. We all took off in different directions. I wasn't going to waste my time looking for my favorite-white-tailed deer-they didn't show up around here. I ran after the first scent that I caught. Elk.

I finished up as soon as I could and then ran in the direction of Edward's house. I was in his backyard and started listening for a heartbeat before I realized that he wasn't home. School had already let out and his car was in the driveway, but he wasn't there.

I ran out and looked for a scent. It seemed to lead back into the woods. I followed it to find a makeshift trail. It was exactly what he would do, walking alone in the middle of the woods.

Already I feel a sense of danger. I sped up my pace.

And then saw him, in all his beauty. He was sitting not too far into the forest, asleep on a log with a jacket under him so he wouldn't get wet.

He was beautifully human.

**(A/N: Ok, so that's it for now. I'm shocked at how long it took to get 30 reviews and have decided that review counts are not for me. I'll just have to be happy with what I get.**

**I have a few chapters worth saved up right now, but I have to save them because I'm still in track. This way, I can still update when I have no time to write. Luckily, track will be over soon and I'll be able to update more often.**

**Love and cyberhugs,**

**~School-is-my-purgatory)**


	8. Chapter 8

EPOV

I was sleeping-dreaming of Bella, as always-when I heard a loud crunching noise. I startled awake and saw a quick flash of white out of the corner of my eye. I was turning to look when the noise distracted me again.

And there was a bear. I huge grizzly bear, right there. It was about ten yards away and looked mad. My head was still clouded by sleep. Maybe if it hadn't been, I would have thought to run.

But it was, so I sat there, dumb, while the bear turned its head to look at me. He started towards me as I just waited; once again accepting death, knowing Bella wouldn't be able to save me this time. I was terrified.

Then he was gone. He was literally gone. Well, at least he moved. One moment he was right in front of me, the next he was at the other end of the trail, almost out of my line of view.

But not quite.

He had been shoved that far. That must have been the blur of white I had seen when I woke up. Whoever or whatever it was, it was protecting me.

Within seconds the bear was dead. It lay there on the ground with its neck snapped. I stared at it, dumbstruck until another white blur came by and pulled it away.

Leaving nothing behind. There was no evidence that any of this had just happened. And then I saw the bracelet. It was a silver bracelet inlaid with diamonds. It was delicate and beautiful.

And very familiar.

I knew who owned that bracelet. I had seen it just the other day. Bella had one just like that. She had been wearing it in biology when she sat down. It had been the same day as the snowball fight.

And then I remembered what I had been doing out here anyway. I had figured out what Bella was. I had gone through my list and used common sense to rule out all but one of them.

Vampires.

And then I had done research. A lot of research. Most of it had been completely ridiculous, but some of the sites had made complete sense. And I had remembered a campfire Charlie had taken me to a long time ago down at the reservation. I had heard a story about the cold ones.

And by then I knew what she was for sure. I just had to convince myself I wasn't going crazy, so I went for a walk. Eventually I got tired and sat down to take a nap.

And now Bella had proven my theory. She had saved my life _again_, this time from a bear. She had left her bracelet.

I bent down and picked it up. I would give it back to her at the dance. Oh wait; the dance!

I looked at my watch and was relieved to see that I still had two hours before I had to be at the school.

I ran back into the house, gripping the bracelet firmly. I set in on the counter when I got inside and went upstairs to take a shower.

BPOV

I was fuming. Emmett had been so careless. He had woken a grizzly bear from hibernation and then given it a _head start_. Anyone could have gotten hurt, and the fact that it was Edward, _my_ Edward, was inexcusable.

I felt the forest responding to my anger. The branches whipped around, tying to hit Emmett over the head as we ran back to the meeting place.

"Look Bella, I'm really sorry. I didn't mean to do it. I know you're mad, but you need to call them off. I need to still be alive if you want to beat me up."

I sighed. I knew he hadn't meant it, but Emmett had endangered Edward. He could have died if I hadn't come back to watch him. I knew Emmett would never do that again, but I couldn't help but loose my temper.

But rage was too tiring to hold on to. I let it drain away, the plants calming with me. They stopped trying to behead him, and Emmett swept me up in a bear hug.

"You know I won't ever do it again." He said, laughing with relief. No one liked it when I was mad at them.

"You better not, and you know I'll find out if you do." I said, shaking my finger at him, joining him in his celebration. Edward was safe and the dance was in an hour and a half.

"We should go. Alice will kill me if she doesn't get to dress me up properly."

So we met up with Jasper, got in my car, and raced back to the house.

"It's about time you got here!" were the first words out of Alice's mouth as we walked through the door. Then I was being pushed up the stairs at vampire speed. The next thing I knew, I was in the bathroom with a towel being thrown at my face.

I caught it and stuck my tongue out at Alice before closing the door and taking the fastest shower in the history of showers.

I dried off and ran back into my room only to find an irritated pixie there waiting for me.

"Come on! Your dress is on your bed. I want you to put it on and then come right back out. I will then have only an hour to fix your hair and make-up.

I walked into my closet and sighed when I saw my dress. Of course Alice would pick that one. She had gotten it designed specially for me.

The dress was a dark blue. The whole skirt was made of tulle with silver sequence. There was a thick black sash around the middle and a floral pattern on the bust. It came with above-elbow length black gloves. There were no sleeves. **(Pic on profile.)**

"No complaining! Just put it on." Alice yelled through the door. Oh well. There really was no fighting her.

I pulled it on over my head and shoved the gloves up my arms. I grabbed the shoes-custom made to match-and marched out the door.

Alice shoved me into a chair and started on my hair and make-up.

*one hour later*

"Done! You are officially perfect." Alice proclaimed, dancing in a little circle.

"May I look in the mirror now?" I asked, my irritation saturating my voice.

"Of course dear sister." she sang. I turned to look in the mirror.

"Wow Alice. You're a miracle worker!" I said, turning back to look at her. She had added no blush, to let me keep my paleness. It would look good with the dress. She had added a smoky blue eye shadow and a light, natural lip-gloss.

For my hair, she had put it up in a messy bun. A part of my bangs hung down over my eyes and a few other strands of my hair were falling out. **(pic on profile)**

It was amazing.

"Thank you!" I screamed, giving her a hug. She backed away, pointing at my dress and shaking a finger. I got the point. I couldn't hug her because it might ruin the dress. I laughed.

"You should go get ready too." I said, and she raced out of the room to get her own dress. Rose was wearing a red dress and she was wearing an adorable blue and green dress. **(pics on profile I won't describe them cause words won't do them justice)**

I walked downstairs to wait with the guys. Emmett wolf-whistled and I hit him.

"Don't think you're off the hook yet. You still owe me, and don't think I won't collect." He flinched, officially scared, and I changed my scowl to a smile.

"Still going to save a dance for me?" Jasper asked and I knew he was thinking about Edward.

"Of course. I already told him that I always save the last dance for you. I would never want you to miss me, besides; the school needs our entertainment once and a while."

"So you won't be too lost in each other's eyes to remember?"

I hit him too. "We aren't going as each other's dates. I'm going alone and he's going alone. We're going alone together. Anyways, I can't dance with him. I don't know any modern dances. I just know ballroom stuff. He wouldn't know what to do."

Jasper was about to respond to that when the other girls came down the stairs. All conversation ceased and I sighed. When I saw the way Emmett and Jasper looked at their wives, it always made me jealous. I wanted that so bad, that unconditional love. It didn't matter what they did. Their husbands would always love them.

I changed thought trains before Jasper came to and felt it. I would get to see Edward again in a few minutes. He would be there and it wouldn't matter what anyone else thought.

Suddenly I was eager to get in the car.

"So which car are we taking?" I half-yelled, breaking everyone's trance.

"I don't know, why don't you go pick one and we'll meet you out front." Emmett yelled back, hurting my ears.

I ran out of the house before anyone could disagree with him. I now had permission to drive my baby around town and I wasn't going to let that go to waste.

I hopped in the front seat and started the car with a purr. Rose and I had finished tuning it just yesterday and I was eager to drive it. I had been considering going to Port Angeles but this was a much better way to show it off. I couldn't wait to see the looks on the children's faces when we pulled up.

EPOV

I was sitting on a bench outside the school, waiting for Bella. I had her bracelet in my pocket and my leg was jiggling. I was nervous. Tonight I was planning on telling Bella that I knew her secret. I was still considering whether or not to tell her that I loved her. Either way, tonight was going to change everything, for good or for bad.

I thought I was so far into worrying that I wouldn't notice anything. I guess I was wrong.

I heard the car first. Well…more like felt it. It was a purring noise that echoed in your chest. I didn't know much about cars, but I knew that this was a good thing.

And then it came around the corner. All heads turned towards it. Mouths dropped open. Talking ceased. I couldn't believe what I was seeing.

I didn't know what kind of car it was-like I said, growing up with only a mom did have its setbacks-but it was amazing.

It was jet black and sleek. I wondered who would drive a car like that in Forks. I doubted anyone would even have enough money for one if they sold every belonging and their house.

It really shouldn't have surprised me when Bella stepped out, but it did. I had been too distracted by the car to use any type of logic.

But then it was no longer the car that distracted me from logical thinking.

She was beautiful. The dark blue she was wearing just emphasized her otherworldly beauty. Her gold-they were gold again?-eyes sparkled as she looked into mine. She was amazing. She was mine.

Wait, mine? I wondered where that thought came from for a few seconds before being distracted by the fact that she was right in front of me.

"Hello Edward." She smiled at me and my breath caught. How could a girl like her ever love someone like me? Maybe I would keep the declaring my love part of the evening for another night. Who was I kidding? If it kept up like this, I would never be telling her. I would much rather not tell her and remain friends than tell her and ruin our friendship forever. I could act well enough. I would just have to be careful. I would always have to be on guard so I didn't do anything stupid.

It was about then that I realized she was waiting for me to say something.

"Oh, hey Bella. You look amazing." I smiled at her and tried to keep it friendly. This was going to be harder than I thought.

"Thank you Edward. You look dashing yourself." She smiled back at me. It was only friendly. I thought that maybe I saw a flicker of disappointment in her eyes, but I knew that was just my subconscious telling me that to make me feel better. I tried to keep my mood from plummeting. I was at a dance with a beautiful girl who wanted to be my friend. I could think of only one thing I wanted more.

We walked into the gym together and I felt her chuckle beside me.

"What's so funny?" I asked, generally curious but trying to keep from staring at her too intensely.

"I've moved around a lot. I've never been to a town that's so tiny they have to hold a school dance in a gym. It's something totally new for me. I kind of like small town life otherwise though. Everybody knows everybody. It's a real community. Usually I'm a total outcast."

"I know exactly what you mean. Like I said, I grew up in Phoenix. This is so tiny."

"Well, let's make the most of it." I held out my arm like I learned in cotillion-my mom made me go-and she placed her hand in the crook of my arm. We were just friends, but for that moment I could pretend that everything was perfect and that she was in love with me like I was in love with her.

"Would you like some punch?" I asked her, smiling because I knew she would decline.

"No thank you." She replied. My smile grew.

"Well then let us sit down." We walked over to one of the tables they had set up and sat down. I figured this was as good a time as any to give her back her bracelet. I could tell her that I knew what she was and maybe we could let the walls down for a night. Maybe we could actually talk without layers of secrecy preventing the exchange of any real information. I was just about to reach into my pocket for the bracelet when she burst out laughing. I turned around and couldn't help but start to laugh as well.

Jessica was staring at our table-Bella specifically-with jealousy burning in her eyes. It seemed that she wanted to be the one that was with me tonight. But that wasn't what had us laughing.

She was wearing the most hideous dress I had ever seen. It honestly looked like Strawberry Shortcake threw up all over her. Her dress was filled with pink ruffles and hearts and berries. It poofed out in places dresses shouldn't poof out and it just looked all around ugly. It went terribly with her hair-though it wouldn't have looked good with any other hair color either. I thought it was bad, and I was a guy. Judging by the look on Bella's face, it was even worse than it first appeared to me.

"I wouldn't take you for someone who knew their fashion. I guess I was wrong considering the dress you're wearing and the fact that you drove a car like that here." I said, teasing her slightly, but honestly wanting to know if she was the kind of girl that would force me to go on shopping trips with her. Not like I would refuse her-I wouldn't be able to even if it I wanted to-but I just wanted to get that out of the way.

"Oh gosh no!" she said, her face aghast, "I hate shopping and fashion and just about everything that has to do with it. Honestly, I would love to just go everywhere in jeans and a t-shirt, but Alice inflicts the torture of shopping upon all of us. I can't even leave the house to go to the store without her dressing me up. As for the car, that has nothing to do with fashion. That car is the result of amazing taste and lots and lots of money that we just have lying around. That car is a Porsche Panamera. It is the best car in the world and it's mine.

"Judging by the look on your face and the car you drive, I'm guessing you have absolutely no idea what I'm talking about. It's from growing up without a dad isn't it?"

I just nodded. This word flow of hers was leaving me in the dust.

"It's okay. I can teach you. Everyone in my family that knows anything about cars learned it from me. If they know what's good for them they won't tease you about it either. When they started out, they all knew less than even you do. Sorry."

Wow. Okay. I took a second to process the information overload. Bella didn't like fashion. Check. Alice loved fashion and regularly took her shopping. Check. They had lots of money. Check. Bella absolutely loved cars. Got it. Bella was willing to teach me all about cars. Check. No one would make fun of me for having Bella teach me about cars because she taught them too. That was all.

How did she fit all those words in a sentence? But of course, she was a vampire.

"I would love that." I said, finally replying. Then I remembered what I had been about to say before we got off topic.

"Oh, Bella. I found something earlier today. It was just lying on the ground." I took her bracelet out of my pocket and set it on the table. It lay between us, creating a boundary. It was now her choice as to where this conversation went. She could deny that the bracelet was hers; thereby showing that she didn't want to talk. I would respect that. Or she could take it. She would be telling me that se knew I knew something was up with her and was willing to talk about it with me. I prayed for the last option. If she didn't take it, I didn't know what I would do. She would ruin any chance of complete honesty.

**(A/N: Okay, that's it for now. I'm going to be able to update more now, and I have an idea of where this story is going. Review!**

**Oh, and about the yellow daisies, I'm sad that no one tried to guess why Bella made them yellow daisies. The reason is that one of their many meanings is 'I'm walking on air'. Get it? If not, you probably won't.**

**Thanks,**

**~School-is-my-purgatory)**


	9. Chapter 9

BPOV

I sat there at the table. I think I was frozen in place. He had found my bracelet. Of course he found my bracelet. He must have picked it up after I lost it fighting the bear.

I looked into his eyes and knew that this was some sort of test. He knew. He knew my families secrets. I wasn't that scared. If he knew our secret and had still come to the dance, then he must have already accepted it. He was just waiting to see if I was willing to acknowledge that it was mine. I knew if I took it I would be confirming his theory. But Alice said it would all turn out right.

_I'm telling him. _I sent it out to my whole family and was greeted with various levels of enthusiasm. I tried to convince them it was the right choice. _He already knows. He's just waiting for me to confirm it. He found my bracelet. It fell off when I saved him from the bear that EMMETT set on him. Alice says it will work out well anyway._

I listened closely and was finally granted permission by my whole family. Rose was a little resistant, but I knew she was aware that we were out of other choices.

"At least take him to a more private place." She whispered, but it carried through the crowd to my ears.

"Be back before the last dance. People will be curious if we don't dance. It's become a tradition." Jasper was also whispering, but I heard both of them loud and clear.

_Thanks_. I sent out.

I turned to Edward.

EPOV** (sorry about all the switching. I needed to let you get a look in Bella's head, but this is mainly an Edward chapter.)**

I was sure she was going to leave it there; deny it was hers. She seemed frozen, with a look of deep concentration on her face. Suddenly she turned to me.

"What time is the dance over?" I was caught off guard with the randomness of her question, but answered quickly enough.

"It ends at eleven. We still have two and a half hours."

"Good. This could take a while." She stood up. I thought she was going to leave the bracelet-her bracelet-but then she snatched it up and hooked it on her wrist as she walked towards the door. I was sure that that was her way of handling it. She was going to accept that it was hers but then refuse to talk about it. She might even be angry.

But then she turned around halfway to the door and sighed. She made a motion with her hand. Wait, she wanted me to follow her??? And then I understood. She wasn't mad or angry. She was nervous and this was her way of dealing with it. She was going to talk to me.

I shot up and followed her out the door and along the path to the parking lot. We walked right up to the car and motioned for me to get in.

I walked to the other side and slid in. She seemed to have relaxed now that we were in her car. I could see why. The entire interior was black and cushioned. It seemed soundproof too and I wondered just how much money she considered a lot.

"So, what all do you know?" She broke the silence easily though I could tell I wasn't the only one tense.

"I know what you are. I know what you r whole family is. I know that you protected me from that bear and I know that you saved me from the car. I also know that you have some sort of influence over plants."

She seemed shocked that I had figured out so much on my own, but quickly recovered. I could tell that she was still worried about what I would think.

"What do you think we are then?" She was being extremely careful. She didn't want to give it away if I didn't already know.

I tried to respond without seeming scared.

"You're a vampire." She flinched at the word and I wondered if it was because she didn't like what she was or if she just didn't want me to say it. I waited for confirmation.

"Yes. I am." She seemed to stare into my eyes, waiting for me to disagree; to accuse her of lying. Maybe she thought I was going to run away screaming or something. I was determined to show her that I wasn't like that.

"So how do you come out into normal society? Do your fangs just disappear into your mouth?" she actually laughed at that and I knew I was getting somewhere, even if it was just a light chuckle filled with stress.

"No, no fangs. I don't need them." She smiled wide and it took all I had not to flinch. I knew it was just my survival instincts kicking in. She would never hurt me. I forced myself to look at her bright, white teeth and then right into her eyes.

This time her laugh was disbelieving.

"I never thought I'd see the day I sat in my car, telling a human all about my vampirish secrets." She seemed to be loosening up. I grinned. Then I realized that even though I liked the way this conversation was going, I needed to clarify something that would mean going back to more serious topics.

"So, you really did save me from that bear?" I was worried about her reaction and had a right to be. As soon as the question was out of my mouth, her expression had clouded. I ducked my head but that didn't keep me from hearing a deep, guttural rumble. I jerked my head up.

"Was that you?" I was incredulous, "Did you seriously just growl?"

She looked at me, knowing that I already knew the answer to that question.

"So when you get angry, you growl? Does no one ever hear?" she smirked. Another mood swing.

"Human's are exceptionally unobservant, well most of you at least. It's a good thing too. Most people don't notice my eyes that change color or that we always are a little faster than normal. A little stronger. If everyone did, we wouldn't be able to interact with humans like we do."

"That makes sense. So, what happened with the bear exactly? It was all so fast, I couldn't see anything." I could tell she was about to growl again and I put my hand on her arm, trying to calm her. Surprisingly it worked.

"It's my fault that bear was even there in first. I'm so sorry for putting you in danger like that." I was officially confused now.

"You didn't put me in danger. You saved me from danger." She sighed and I felt like I was missing something obvious.

"This would be so much easier if you had already asked the most important question of all." She whispered, seeming like she really didn't want me to ask the most important question, no matter how much it would help her explain what was going on.

"And what would that be?"

"What do I eat?" she forced it out from between her teeth in a hiss. This Bella was starting to scare me. She was different than I had ever seen her. The only time I could think of that she had seemed so animalistic was when she glared at me the first day in biology. I refused to let her see just how much she was terrifying me at the moment.

"You won't hurt me." I stated, more confident than I felt.

"You're right." She said, but seemed to be talking more to herself than me. "I would never hurt you. I don't want to. Damn, Alice was right."

"What do you mean, Alice was right?" I said, breaking her concentration. "You've said barely anything that makes any sense yet and the dance is over in and hour." That got her attention. She swore again and I looked at her, incredulous.

"Here, you ask questions and I'll answer them as truthfully as I can. No more going off topic anymore. If we want to cover anything, this is the only way we can." She sat up in her seat, back straight, as if waiting for a particularly nasty punishment.

"I'll start with the one you said will make it all easier. What do you eat?" I was desperately hoping that she didn't drain just any passing human. I needed to convince myself that this wasn't what Bella was about. She was nervous. That was why she was acting this way.

"I don't drain humans." She said quickly, reading my face. "My family and I consider ourselves vegetarians. We go against our nature and hunt animals rather than humans." Okay, so that was nothing like what I had been expecting.

"So now explain what went on with the bear and why you consider it your fault."

"I don't just consider it my fault, it is my fault. My family and I were going to go up to the mountains for a hunting trip. We wanted a bigger selection after being in the same place for so long. Everyone was excited. Then you came. Suddenly, Alice was insisting that we had to go to the dance instead. I didn't understand until you asked if we wanted to go 'alone together'. Alice knew that was going to happen. She always has something up her sleeve. Anyway, so we still had to go hunting. I went with Jasper and Emmett earlier today. I had gone to watch you when Emmett woke up a grizzly from hibernation. He wanted to fight it, but he wanted to give it a head start. Now, all bears are grumpy after getting woken up from hibernation. So it was a good thing I was there to help you. You were asleep for Pete's sake. You would have been dead and never even known what happened. Let me assure you that I gave Emmett quite an earful when I got home."

So that at least made a little sense, if I able to pretend that she was telling me a story. I still couldn't imagine Bella fighting off an angry grizzly bear.

"So why was any of that your fault?"

"Don't you see? If I hadn't agreed to go with you to the dance, that grizzly would still be in hibernation, you'd be home safe, and I'd be in the mountains." I felt my heart fall at that. So she regretted going to the dance with me. She really was just going to a friend all my life. I tried to distract myself again.

"Okay, I still don't blame you for that, but moving on. Were you being serious when you said your eyes change color when you're hungry?"

"Did I seem serious?" she teased, then sobered, "yes. I was completely serious. When I have just hunted, my eyes are gold. They darken to black as time goes on. Next question."

"What did you mean earlier when you were talking about how Alice was right, and how she knew something would happen, always had a plan up her sleeve?"

"Oh. One second." She got that same look of intense concentration on her face that she had on when I showed her the bracelet. Then her face cleared.

"Alice can see the future." She said it in a totally calm voice, but she knew that would bring on thousands of questions. She glanced at the clock. "Keep it quick. We only have forty-five minutes left."

"How is that possible? How can she see the future?"

"Carlisle thinks that when we are human and change into a vampire, our strongest traits are amplified. He thinks Alice could have little flashes of the future when she was human so now she can see it all as a vampire. She can't remember any of her human past though, so this is all just theories."

"Okay, well I guess that make a little sense. I think I'm on information overload right now. Let's not talk about vampires right now. I need to talk about something else. Let's take turns asking questions right now."

"Okay." I could tell she wanted a break from vampire topics as well.

"What is your favorite color?" I asked. She answered without hesitation.

"Green. What's yours?"

"Gold." I blushed and tried to cover it up. "What kind of music is in your car radio right now?"

"Why don't you check?" she teased. I ejected the CD in her player and was honestly shocked at what I found.

"Alicia Bell? Honestly? I didn't think you'd be in to all the popular music. She's at the top of the charts."

"I know. Trust me. This is her latest CD though. Do you listen to her or do I have to expose you to some good music before you leave this car?"

I shrugged. "I don't really listen to the popular stuff. I hear her every now and then, but I've never really listened."

"Well you should. The questions are now postponed until you've listened to some of her songs.

And then she hit play. A few notes drifted out, and I liked the way they sounded, it just seemed like they were missing something. She handed me the CD and I check what song we were listening to.

Fallin' for you **(this is really by Colbie Caillat, but go along with it)**

Words started coming out of the speakers.

I don't know but  
I think I maybe  
Fallin' for you  
Dropping so quickly  
Maybe I should  
Keep this to myself  
Waiting 'til I  
Know you better

I am trying  
Not to tell you  
But I want to  
I'm scared of what you'll say  
So I'm hiding what I'm feeling  
But I'm tired of  
Holding this inside my head

I've been spending all my time  
Just thinking about ya  
I don't know what to do  
I think I'm fallin' for you  
I've been waiting all my life  
and now I found ya  
I don't know what to do  
I think I'm fallin' for you  
I'm fallin' for you

As I'm standing here  
And you hold my hand  
Pull me towards you  
And we start to dance  
All around us  
I see nobody  
Here in silence  
It's just you and me

I'm trying  
Not to tell you  
But I want to  
I'm scared of what you'll say  
So I'm hiding what I'm feeling  
But I'm tired of  
Holding this inside my head

I've been spending all my time  
Just thinking about ya  
I don't know what to do  
I think I'm fallin' for you  
I've been waiting all my life  
and now I found ya  
I don't know what to do  
I think I'm fallin' for you  
I'm fallin' for you

Oh I just can't take it  
My heart is racing  
The emotions keep spinning out

I've been spending all my time  
Just thinking about ya  
I don't know what to do  
I think I'm fallin' for you  
I've been waiting all my life  
and now I found ya  
I don't know what to do  
I think I'm fallin' for you  
I'm fallin' for you

I can't stop thinking about it  
I want you all around me  
And now I just can't hide it  
I think I'm fallin' for you (x2)

I'm fallin' for you

Ooohhh  
Oh no no  
Oooooohhh  
Oh I'm fallin' for you

I was amazed at how perfectly that fit the situation I was in. I was totally falling for Bella and she didn't even know it. I was keeping it to myself. I wondered how Bella had picked the perfect song for right now.

The next one came on and I looked again. I would have a more open mind this time. Your Anything. **(Taylor Swift)**

I bet you lie awake at night trying to make up your sweet mind  
Wonderin if you'll ever find just what you want  
A hometown number one  
Or a california loaded gun  
But you'll only get one  
Thats what you thought  
And heres what you got

I could be your favorite blue jeans  
With the holes in the knees  
In the bottom of the top drawer  
I could be your little beauty queen  
Just a little out of reach  
Or the girl living next door  
I'll be your angel giving up her wings  
If thats what you need  
I'd give everything to be your anything  
Be your anything

If you want hard to get  
If you want  
All you have to do is let me know  
If you want a bumby ride  
Or someone with a softer side  
Either one will be alright  
Just let me know  
Cause this is how it goes

I could be your favorite blue jeans  
With the holes in the knees  
In the bottom of the top drawer  
I could be your little beauty queen  
Just a little out of reach  
Or the girl living next door  
I'll be your angel giving up her wings  
If thats what you need  
I'd give everything to be your anything

It's not like i'm giving up who i am for you  
But with someone like you it's so easy to do

I could be your favorite blue jeans  
With the holes in the knees  
In the bottom of the top drawer  
I could be your little beauty queen  
Just a little out of reach  
Or the girl living next door  
I'll be your angel giving up her wings  
If thats what you need  
Thats what you need

I could be your favorite blue jeans  
With the holes in the knees  
In the bottom of the top drawer  
I could be your little beauty queen  
Just a little out of reach  
Or the girl living next door  
I'll be your angel giving up her wings  
If thats what you need  
I'd give everything to be your anything

"So I'll admit that I did enjoy that a little bit. I'd love to stay out here and talk all night, but the dance is almost over." She glanced at the clock and sighed.

"Um, Bella? I think that this still a little too much to take in at one time. I think I'm going to go home and process it. I guess I'll see you Monday?" I reached for the door and was amazed to see that even after learning what Bella was, that she could kill me at any moment, I still didn't want to leave her.

"I could drive you home if you'd like. I could take you home and I'd get Alice to drive your truck home. Of course, that's only if you want to. I'd totally understand if you wanted nothing to do with me after this." I was glad she had made the offer. I would give anything to spend just a little more time with her.

"Sure. I've never ridden in anything this nice before." She smiled really big then, and laughed a little.

"Then you're in for a treat. Just one question? Do you like to go fast?!" Apparently, it was a rhetorical question, because I hadn't even started to answer when she slammed her foot on the gas pedal. I was expecting the engine to growl, but it purred to life and shot off, leaving my stomach somewhere behind. I looked at the speedometer to see how fast we were going, but it was maxed out.

"How fast are you going?" I felt like I should be shouting, but there was no need. The car was silent.

"I don't know! Rose and I tested it out at home and got up to four hundred, but I don't have a timer with me right now." She seemed exhilarated. I couldn't help but laugh too. This was fantastic! I had never gone so fast in my life and I knew I should be scared, but Bella was driving. She would keep me safe.

Within seconds we were pulling up outside my house. I turned to get out, giving Bella one last look. I wouldn't see her again until Monday. I turned around and got out of the car only to see…

Bella in front of me.

"How did you do that?" I asked, after I was done with a mini freak-out. She had just been in the car.

"Vampire remember?" she laughed and started walking with me up to the house. We got to the door and she stepped in a kind of in-front-of-me and behind-me move that let me know she had one last thing to say. I turned around.

"Thank you Edward. That was the best school dance I've ever been to, and I've been to a lot." She looked right into my eyes to show she was serious and I smiled at her. Then she got up on tiptoe and pressed her lips to mine.

Before I could even register what had happened, she was halfway back to her car.

"Bye Edward. See you tomorrow." She got in the car and drove off, leaving me dumbstruck on the porch. Then what she had said registered. _Tomorrow_. She said she would see me tomorrow. Tomorrow was Saturday, but I had a feeling she wasn't the kind of person who would accidentally say something like that. She really was coming back tomorrow.

I walked inside and immediately went upstairs to my room. I was asleep in minutes.

BPOV

My lips were tingling as I drove away. That was really stupid of me, but I hadn't been able to resist. I had spent the entire night trying to appear only friendly, but I completely ruined it at the last second.

But it had been so hard to resist. He had taken it all so easily. He knew what I was and still wanted me to drive him home. And he wasn't scared of me. He hadn't gone running off. So when I was standing with him on the porch, I had wanted so badly to kiss him. It had been a need. It was hard to resist. What scared me most though was that I didn't want to resist.

So I hadn't.

And then I had told him I would see him tomorrow. Of course, I would see him much sooner than that, but he wouldn't see me until tomorrow. I drove back to the dance, danced the last dance with Jasper, went home, and was attacked by a bouncing pixie.

"I can't believe you did that! Of course, I'm so glad you did, but I still can't believe it. This speeds everything up! And it was last minute, which means I got to watch it happen as it happened. Oh, you two are so perfect together. And, yes I already ran his truck home."

"Thanks Alice. You're a life saver."

"I know. So, I was wondering if you would like to go shopping with me this weekend."

"Alice, you already know I have other plans. I can't go. This is urgent."

"Technically, this is just your definition of urgent. But I do understand. You might want to ask Rose to go with you. It surprised me too when I saw she would go, but I'm glad she will. I guess we should ease him into the Cullen family before he sits with us at lunch Monday."

"He's eating lunch with us?"

"Yes, but he's still more of a friend than a boyfriend. May I ask what was up with all the acting today. Why not just let him know you're in love with him?"

"He's human. I'm a vampire. It should never have happened in the first place. Besides, there's no way he could love me back. I'd rather just stay his friend and be around him than ruin his friendship and be forced to avoid him."

She sighed. "I guess I knew you'd look at it that way. Oh well. We need to decide what you'll be wearing to your almost-date tomorrow."

"Let me get Rosalie first." I walked off, avoiding this for as long as I could. I wondered what in the world Alice was going to dress me in. I was going to get so dirty. See, I had a plan.

Edward had said that he grew up with his mom and didn't know much about cars. His truck was unbearably slow though. I had decided that his car needed a makeover. If Rose would help, it would help ease him into our family, and it would help her realize that he was the perfect human for me.

I found her reading a fashion magazine in her room. I sighed.

"How you can be so much like me and yet so much like Alice will always baffle me." She smiled and looked up. I got right to the point. That's the way Rose was; the sooner you got to the point, the better chance you had for her to say yes.

"I was wondering if you would like to come with me to Edward's house tomorrow. I was planning on fixing up his truck. He grew up with his mom and never really learned how to do anything technical. Besides, if I'm going to be spending so much time with him, he has to be able to drive fast or I will go insane."

She smiled, once again with me on everything. "Sure I'll go with you. Emmett was going with Jasper to hunt again and I was wondering what I would do. I would much rather help you fix up cars than read fashion magazines all day."

"And that's where your and Alice's similarities stop." I waked out of the room in a fantastic mood. Edward had accepted it, I was going to see him tomorrow, and Rose approved of him-more than that-she wanted to help me fix up his car. I looked down and was hardly surprised to see my feet a few feet off the ground. I didn't feel like going to get Jasper right now, so I enjoyed it. I decided that Edward would definitely be asleep by now. I ran up to my room and changed into sweats and a tee-shirt. I knew Alice would understand, besides, she could pick out my outfit without me there. It's not like I got any say in the matter anyway.

Soon I was sitting in the corner of his room, cross-legged on the floor. The burn in my throat just another reminder that the man I loved was still gloriously alive and human. I sucked in deep breaths, getting entirely desensitized. I needed this.

I was jerked out of my thoughts by his sleep talking. I wondered what was on his mind tonight. At first it was just an unintelligible garble, but soon the words were clear.

"Bella." He sighed my name and I was surprised by how much that one word could affect me. It was just a name, but it was my name, and he had said it in a way that let me know he wasn't in the middle of a nightmare. He was sighing my name, quite tenderly, in his sleep. I was a few more inches off the ground.

"It doesn't matter. I don't care. I just want to be with you." I was shocked; he actually thought it didn't matter. I had an unimaginable urge to cross the room right then and kiss him, but I didn't want to wake him up, besides, that was one conversation I could skip.

"_Bella, what are you doing kissing me in my room at night while I'm asleep?"_

"_Oh, it's just what I felt like doing. I come here every night. I like to watch you sleep, and besides, you have a small habit of spilling all your thoughts while you're asleep. It was a chance I just couldn't pass up."_

No, I definitely didn't need that conversation.

He growled then, "You are NOT a monster."

But I was. I was a creature of the night, created to kill. I fed off the lives of others. I didn't age or die or follow any other natural pattern. He just didn't know what he was talking about. I was a monster, and he was an angel.

I sat by the window, immersed in my thoughts, until I noticed that it was getting lighter. I stood up and walked over to Edward's bed and leaned over to kiss his cheek. He didn't think I was a monster. He didn't care if I was a vampire.

"Oh, my Edward, how much you do not know." I whispered, jumping out the window. He was an innocent human. He deserved better than me.

It was a good thing I was such a selfish creature.

**A/N: So yeah! I have over a hundred pages of this story and this story is only 56 pages long so far, so I guess I'll be updating more often.**

**I love the way this story is going, and I hope you all do. I got a few comments saying that this was a lot like Twilight, but I assure you that it will all change.**

**~school-is-my-purgatory**


	10. Chapter 10

EPOV

I had been dreaming. It was a good dream. Bella had been in it, and she had kissed me again, this time letting me process what was going on before pulling away. She had been so beautiful, but her face had been twisted up in inner turmoil.

"Bella." I said softly, letting her know I had noticed.

"Edward, how can you love me? How can you even stand to be near me? I am a vampire. I'm dangerous. I could hurt you at any moment. You should be running away screaming."

"It doesn't matter. I don't care. I just want to be with you." I had argued, and her face had twisted even more.

"It doesn't matter? How can you even say that? I was a creature made to kill. I'm a monster."

I had been amazed by her last comment. How could she even think that? Bella was an angel on earth. Even if she had fed off humans she would be an angel, but she didn't. She denied her very nature just so she could be good.

"You are NOT a monster." I practically growled. For a while after that she was silent, and I thought I had made her angry, but then I realized I didn't care. If making her angry was what it took to make her realize that she wasn't a monster, than that would be my life-long goal. Anything to convince her she wasn't a monster.

Suddenly, she was calm again. She calmed her expression and walked up, giving me a kiss on the cheek this time. She leaned over to whisper in my ear.

"Oh, my Edward, how much you do not know."

And then I woke up. It was just getting light outside. I looked over at my clock and was surprised to see that it was only five thirty. I usually slept until noon when I could. I was not a morning person.

Yet I knew I wasn't going to fall back asleep. I felt a light flush around my cheeks and I knew exactly what it was from. It was not from the fact that I had just had a dream about Bella kissing me-no, I'd had too many of those the last couple weeks-it was because in my dream, Bella had called me _her_ Edward, and I liked that way too much than a friend should. Yet today didn't seem like the right day to go declaring myself either.

So I hauled myself out of bed, taking a shower and getting dressed in jeans and a casual t-shirt. I had to admit that it was one of my better shirts though. I was getting dressed up for a date that I wasn't even sure would happen. It wasn't even a date. It was just a friend who may or may not be coming over to see me today. I didn't even know what time she would be here, if she would be here at all.

I walked downstairs to eat breakfast feeling slightly deflated. I grabbed a bowl of cereal and sat down to eat my breakfast.

BPOV (sorry, I'll be switching a lot for a while)

I was sitting in a chair in Alice's room. She was doing my hair and talking to me at the same time.

"Alice, I'm going to be working on his car. Do I really need my hair done for that?"

"Of course you do! You never know when you'll need to look perfect."

"What ever, so what time will I be able to go?" I watched her smirk in the mirror.

"Actually, he's already awake. I can tell he's not usually a morning person, but he seems to be doing fine today. You should be able to go over there anytime you want to."

"Will he be glad to see me?"

"Of course he will. You need to calm down. Now, you'll be going over there in twenty minutes. That's when he'll have just finished breakfast. You'll show up, tell him your plan, and Rose will arrive right on schedule. It will go perfectly." For once I was glad for Alice's commanding personality. This was practically a first date. I knew that most people would consider last night a first date, but today would be the first day that all the lies would be gone. It would be a relief to show him the real me.

"There, you're perfect." Alice finally let me up and I ran to the door. I had already decided how I was going to get to his house. I was going to be flying.

I took off and relished in the feeling of air flowing around me, cradling me. I couldn't believe I had gone so long without doing this.

All too soon I saw Edward's house in the distance and had to land. I dropped down onto the forest floor and walked the rest of the way. It seemed Charlie had already gone. His cruiser was no longer in the front of his house. I remembered Edward saying his father was big on fishing. That must be why he was gone.

I steeled myself before knocking on the door. Even with Alice's pep talk I was nervous. I had been looking forward to this all day and I still had a chance that he would turn me away. Realizing that it wouldn't get any easier over time, I raised my hand and knocked.

EPOV

I had just finished my cereal when I heard a knock on the door. I jumped up to answer it, leaving my bowl in the sink as I went. I almost tripped on the way to the door, but got there okay. I flung it open to reveal,

Charlie.

He had his hands full, which explained why he couldn't open the door himself.

"Thanks," he said, walking in, "I was on my way to Billy's when I remembered that I needed to stop by the store. We're running low on groceries. I couldn't get the key out from under the eave."

"No problem." I said, hoping that he wouldn't notice how disappointed I was. Maybe she wasn't coming at all. It was totally possible that she just misspoke. It happened to me all the time. I decided I would just go up to my room for a while and wait there. I turned around and walked up the stairs.

My feet dragged and I felt even more deflated. I couldn't believe I had let myself get all worked up over a little slip of the tongue.

I opened the door to my room,

And yelled in surprise.

Well, at least I tried to. A cold, hard hand was suddenly over my mouth, cutting off any sound I made.

"Shh. You don't want Charlie to come up here, wondering what all the commotion is, do you?"

I took a deep breath before answering.

"How did you get up here?"

"The window." She stated it as if the most obvious thing.

"Did you ever hear of a door?"

"Of course! But where's the fun in that? Besides, I was going to just knock on the door when I heard Charlie's cruiser. I needed somewhere to go, so I came up here."

I felt a smile grow on my face. She hadn't just slipped up, she actually came. I wondered what she wanted to do today; why she was here. I had to remind myself that she was just a friend. She probably just needed help with her homework or something.

But she was still here, in my room. My extremely messy room.

"Charlie's gone now. We should go downstairs." She beat me to the punch.

"Okay. Just one question, what were you planning on doing today?"

"We are going to fix up your truck."

"My truck? We?" Maybe she didn't understand that I knew nothing about cars.

"Of course! Your truck totally needs it. Have you even gotten it over fifty? That's why Rose is coming over and we're going to fix up your truck."

"Rose?" it seemed like the only thing I was capable of doing was talking in questions.

"Yeah. She's the second best mechanic in our family after me. She also really wanted to meet the only human ever capable of capturing Isabella Cullen's heart."

My breath caught at that. Her heart? I had captured her heart? Maybe it was just a slip of the tongue. There was no way that this beautiful creature in front of me would ever think I was more than a friend. In fact, it was a miracle I had even gotten this far.

The doorbell rang. Bella jerked her head up in a movement so quick I didn't even catch it. She looked over at me.

"That's her. I'll go get her. We'll meet you in the kitchen." And then she was out the door and down the hall. It seemed like she had entirely dropped the human façade. I was glad. This Bella was even more beautiful. Absolutely none of her was restrained. She was herself, and she was amazing.

I followed her down and was surprised to see that she and Rosalie were already in the kitchen, though I really shouldn't have been considering the speed she had shown earlier.

"Rose, this is Edward." Was it just me or did her voice change slightly when she said my name. It almost sounded possessive. I liked it.

"Hello Rosalie." I said, and she laughed. It was a high, sweet sound, but not nearly as enchanting as my Bella's.

"Please, call me Rose. If you're going to be hanging around Bella a lot, we'll probably be seeing a lot of each other. We'll practically be family." Bella seemed to look at her like she had said a few things too many, but stopped and rearranged her expression when she caught me looking. I decided to ignore it.

"So, you ready to do this?"

"Um, sort of? I've never worked on a car before." I muttered, looking down. It was embarrassing to admit that I had little experience doing anything remotely masculine. Rose let loose a gasp like I had just committed a personal crime.

"You poor, deprived child. I'll make a car fanatic out of you yet. They really are fascinating." She walked out the door and walked over to my truck. Bella came over to me and we walked out together.

"She wasn't kidding you know. She'll teach you everything there is to know about cars. It will all probably take under a month too. You'll totally be cramming. I wouldn't be surprised if she even gave an end-of-course test."

"Did you have to go through that?" She let loose a peal of laughter that rang like bells and left my head spinning. I had never heard her laugh like that. Anyone who did would automatically know that she was something other than human. It was just too beautiful.

If you listened really closely, you could hear Rose laughing as well while she opened up my car and started poking around.

"Never. I taught her." I turned to look at her to see if she was kidding, and was shocked when I saw she wasn't. But once again, why should I be? She was good at everything else. Why couldn't she be good at that too? I walked over to my truck with her and we got to work right away.

**(A/N: I'd like to say that I'll skip this part of the story because I don't want to bore you with all my techy-car talk, but sadly, that is not the reason. While I have asked my dad to teach me about cars, I am currently clueless about cars. His car was totaled so he can't even start to teach me yet. Sorry. So, skip ahead a few hours. –Vampires work fast-)**

I stood back and looked at my truck. Besides the fact that it was sparkling clean, you couldn't really tell that we'd done anything at all. Rose and Bella assured me that I would be able to see a difference when I drove it.

We had started early in the morning, so it was only around noon. At first I had been amazed at the skill, speed, and grace with which they moved, but I got past that fairly quickly. I now had a fairly basic understanding of how cars worked, but I could tell that wasn't nearly enough for Rose. She wanted me to know every car ever invented inside and out.

"Hey Edward, want to take this thing out for a test drive?" Bella looked over at me, excitement lighting up her features. Rose whipped her head up and looked at Bella, an almost pleading look on her face. I saw her lips moving at an impossible speed, but couldn't tell what she was saying. Bella seemed to respond, and her face quickly turned from pleading to understanding.

"Have fun guys. I'm going shopping with Alice. It was nice meeting you Edward." She waved at me, and then she was gone in just another super-fast movement. Bella turned to me, saw my questioning look, and promptly changed the subject.

"Come on. Aren't you curious to see how it runs?" I didn't want to drop it, but I also didn't want to pry. And the chance to drive my newly-improved truck was something I couldn't pass up, especially considering that Bella would be with me.

"Sure. Where do you want to go?" She smirked.

"I've got a little place in mind. Just get in and I'll give you directions from there."

"'K" I walked over and opened the door for her before climbing into my seat. I looked over to see her eyebrow raised.

"My mother always raised me with a slightly olden-day outlook on life." I explained. I supposed it was odd for a teenager these days to open doors for ladies. I wondered if it would kind of freak her out, but I looked over to see her positively beaming.

"That's perfect! Oh Esme's going to love you." I was confused for a second before remembering two quite important details. First, Esme was Bella's adopted mother. Second, Bella was a vampire. That meant she was quite possibly immortal. I wondered how old she really was. A friend could ask that, right?

"Um Bella, how old are you?"

"Seventeen." The response was automatic and programmed. I wondered if this topic was at all uncomfortable for her. I had a feeling it was. Women never liked to talk about their ages.

"How long have you been seventeen?" A smile slipped onto her face. It seemed it wasn't as uncomfortable as I originally thought.

"A while." I gave her a look that said I was not amused. She sighed.

"I'll tell you soon. Later today. I promise. Turn right here."

Silence engulfed the car for a while, but it was a good silence. There was no need to fill it with uncomfortable chatter. Then I realized that it actually was _silent_. I was in my truck and there was no deafeningly loud roar. The truck handled amazingly and made little to no sound. I started grinning and looked over to see Bella looking on, amused.

"I just noticed too. We did an awesome job, not that I'm surprised. You can go faster if you want."

That made me realize how used to driving slowly I had become. I hadn't gone over forty yet.

"Don't worry. I know you want to. I'll warn you if there's any cops coming." She grinned a sly grin and I grinned back. It was contagious.

Then I pushed my foot down on the pedal.

We shot forward. I laughed in pure exhilaration. Bella laughed in pure amusement. We flew down the highway. I don't even know how long we went like that. It felt almost unnatural, to be in such a huge vehicle and to be able to go as fast as if you were in a sports car.

"You'll need to slow down. The turn's coming up and there's a cop just around this curve. **(I know highways don't have curves. Just go with it.)  
**

I slowly eased my foot off the gas. Immediately, I was wishing to speed back up. I'm sure it showed on my face, because Bella laughed again. She had laughed more today than all the other days I had known her put together.

Just then I saw the patrol car. I was going at the speed limit again, and there was no need for him to suspect that I had been going any faster than that. This truck looked like it wouldn't be able to speed even if I wanted it to. It was a totally perfect cover.

"And you turn here. Now just keep driving until the pavement ends. There's a trail there."

"We're hiking?" I said. I wasn't scared or anything, I just hadn't expected her to be the type of girl to enjoy hiking. Then again, it seemed like there was absolutely no stereotype that you could fit Bella into.

"Yep. I want to show you something." She hopped out of the car (we were there by now) and walked over to wait for me.

"How far out is it?" I asked. I was relieved that I had worn the proper shoes for hiking.

"It's only a couple miles out."

"And how long will it take to get there?" I asked, trying to cover up the fact that I was panicking. I was not good at hiking. I had hardly ever been, once again coming back to growing up without a dad.

"That depends." She had a wicked glint in her eye, like an idea had just occurred to her.

"And what would it depend on?"

"How do you want to get there? We could hike, and you would maintain some of your manly pride, or I could carry you, and we could run…or fly, but I think I'll save that last one for later."

"Umm, fly?"

"Long story. I'll explain later while I explain about my age. In fact, how about we just save all our questions till later. I'll answer every one I can. Now, pick how you want to get there or I'll pick for you."

So she had caught me. I was stalling. I honestly didn't know what to think of her offer. Was she being serious? There was no way she'd be able to carry me. I was at least a foot taller than her.

"Too slow." She crowed, giggling. She ran over to me and stood right in front of me.

"So what will it be? Do you want me to carry you or give you a piggyback ride?" I had a feeling that this wasn't going to make any more sense no matter how long I waited.

"I don't know?"

"Well since you're so indecisive, I'll just have to carry you. Sadly, I would have trouble scooping you up onto my back." She darted forward and then I was being carried by her. It was extremely awkward considering that she looked so delicate. However, if I could just ignore the fact that I was being carried by a girl that probably didn't even weigh a hundred pounds, it was fantastic.

All those times I had watched her move from one place to another n the blink of an eye, I had never considered what it must be like to travel that fast. Now I watched as every tree whipped past at speeds that would surely cause a crash but didn't. Bella seemed to not even have to think about dodging trees or anything like that. She wasn't breathing hard either. In fact, I wasn't even sure she was breathing.

But that didn't even make sense, unless…did vampires have to breathe? Could they just go through life without breathing? Spend their whole life under water? I didn't have any more time to think about it, because Bella was already slowing down. Soon we were on the very edge of a tree line, looking into an amazing meadow.

It was perfectly round and had a stream running through the middle. There were flowers all around and it practically radiated calm.

I walked out into the field just as the sun came out from behind a cloud. It was only when I turned around to talk to Bella that I realized she wasn't there. She was back, just within the shadows.

"Come out." I called, wanting to share this with her. Then I noticed her nervous expression. I looked around for any kind of danger but found none. Then I looked up. Of course, the sun was out.

"You can't come out in the sun?" I asked, feeling stupid to be stating the obvious. I wondered if after all this we would just have to go back to the truck.

So you can understand my surprise when she burst out laughing.

"I should have known you'd jump to that conclusion. No. I can come out in the sun, just not in public."

"Why?"

"That's what I'm trying to show you. I just don't know how to without scaring you."

"Nothing you do will scare me. Just come out. I'll be fine."

She took a deep breath. I'd never seen her look so nervous except for the time when I told her I knew what she was. It seemed like she was just so used to keeping secrets, it scared her to share them.

Then she stepped out of the shade.

The sun bounced off her skin and reflected around the clearing as if she were made of diamonds rather than, well whatever made up her skin. Her eyes were downcast, as if she was afraid to look at me, afraid of my reaction.

Before I even really processed what I was doing, I started to cross the meadow. I think she saw my feet, but she didn't mention it.

"Bella." I whispered. I didn't think I was capable of talking in anything over a whisper when I was a round her. She was just so amazing. Even the thought of her wanting to be my friend was ridiculous.

"Bella, look up." I couldn't believe she could get nervous over this. She still hadn't looked up. I put my fingers under her chin and lifted her head. I knew she could resist if she wanted to, but I also knew she wouldn't.

Her head came up. I looked her right in the eyes so she would know I was serious.

"Isabella. There is no reason you should be scared about what I would think. You are beautiful and amazing. This changes nothing. In fact, you're even more beautiful now than ever." I watched as her eyes widened. I knew she knew I was serious.

"Bella, I know that I've only know you for a few days, but I feel like I've known you forever. I know it's gone so quick and everything, but I feel like this is just how it should be. I think…I think I love you." Okay, well that had totally slipped out. I didn't know why I had let that slip. All chances of a casual relationship were now gone. I watched now with baited breathe while I waited for a reaction.

BPOV (I know, you hate me. Get over it.)

I walked out into the meadow, but I couldn't bring myself to look up. I knew what his reaction would be. He would run away and never look back. Why had I taken him here? I would have to bring him back even when he would want to be as far away from me as possible.

I stood there, and was unsurprised to hear his heart speed up. I heard him start to move. I knew he would be moving to the edge of the field now, trying to get as far away from me as the meadow would allow. He would run until he would realize he was lost, and then I'd help him. He'd walk with me back to the truck and then he'd leave. I'd let him.

His feet appeared in the corner of my view, and I restrained myself from looking up. He had already realized that he didn't know the way back. He was just wondering how to ask me.

"Bella." He whispered. I knew it was only my imagination trying to comfort me by making his voice sound rough with emotion. _He just wants you to take him back. He just wants you to take him back._

I looked down at my bare feet. The skin was sparkling. Everywhere I looked I could see its reflection. Every corner of the meadow screamed that I was a monster. I would never be able to come back here after this. It would hurt too much.

"Bella, look up." _He just wants you to take him back. He just wants you to take him back_. I knew I should look up. Should put on a brave face and walk him back to the truck, then let him leave and wait till he was out of sight before I broke down. For some reason, I still couldn't move.

He put two fingers under my chin.

Slowly, he pulled my head up. I knew I could stop him if I wanted to, but my head really did need to come up, and I couldn't put it off any longer anyway.

I looked up into his eyes. They were completely fear-free. I searched then, trying to find the fear. There was none. He looked into my eyes with a strange intensity.

"Isabella." He started, and I didn't mind that he had called me that name. When he said it, it sounded beautiful. "There is no reason you should be scared about what I would think. You are beautiful and amazing. This changes nothing. In fact, you're even more beautiful now than ever." I felt my eyes widening. Before I could say anything, he kept going.

"Bella, I know that I've only know you for a few days, but I feel like I've known you forever. I know it's gone so quick and everything, but I feel like this is just how it should be. I think…I think I love you." He seemed to be waiting, weighing my every move. My mind was going a hundred mile an hour.

How could Edward love me? Alice had seen this happening again and again, yet some part of me had still doubted her. I had been sure there was no way he could feel the same way I felt. He couldn't love me. He _shouldn't_ love me. It would be so dangerous. He could get hurt. I could hurt him.

So why wasn't I sad? Why was I so happy that I already felt my feet lifting off the ground? In fact, I was so happy, I had a feeling I would be feet off the ground soon. I looked up, just to see Edward still looking on with a devastated face. He still thought I didn't love him like that. Had I not told him yet? No, I hadn't. I had been too busy thinking. Now he thought I didn't love him, that I just didn't know how to let him down easy. I could tell from his expression. I took his face in my hands and made him look back in my eyes. (He had looked away.)

"Edward Masen. I have only known you for six days." **(A/N: Gasp! It's seemed so much longer!)** "I have lived for years before that, but it doesn't feel like that. It feels like all that I once thought was life wasn't. My life hadn't started until you came into it. I feel alive when I'm around you. I see you every day. You aggravate me with how calmly you accept things. You surprise me with how perceptive you are. You amaze me with how different you are after spending a lifetime observing humans. You nearly give me an ulcer worrying about all the ways you could get hurt when I'm not there. And I wouldn't have it any other way. I would do anything for you, even go against my family. You are my life now. I love you too."

I watched as his face broke up in pure joy. An adorable crooked grin spread across his face. I felt an equally happy one spread across mine. My feet were now so high off the ground that I was taller than him. He looked down, his shock comical in the moment.

"So that's what you meant by flying." He said, turning back up to look at me. By now I knew nothing would ruin the moment. He was a strange human, able to take all of this in stride. I loved him for it. He was able to accept me for who I was, not who I pretended to be, who everyone at school saw me as.

"Later?" he asked, grinning.

"Or now. You can choose. I don't really care when I tell you anymore."

"How about some now and some later?"

"Whatever you want." I said, lying down in the middle of the meadow. He sat down next to me.

EPOV

We spent the rest of the day in the meadow. I asked her questions, and she answer honestly for the first time since I had met her.

By the time the sun went down, we had established what her favorite color was (green), what her power was (emotion-ruled), what her past was like (changed in 1918 after the Spanish influenza), what her interests were (books, music, cars, and just about everything else besides shopping), why it was so much harder to resist my blood than anyone else's (la tua cantante), and what she did before she met me.

I hadn't even noticed the sun was setting at first. It still seemed so light in our clearing. Eventually I looked out and saw it. For one of the first times in my life, I actually looked at the sunset. Was this what love did to you? I had never cared about sunsets before. Why should that change now? But I guess it made sense. I had never noticed it before, but I was hardly the old me. Bella had changed me so much, it only made sense that I would notice different things than I used to.

"We should go." She whispered, but I heard her loud and clear. Already, my entire being was tuned to her. I would hear her whenever she talked. I was aware of every move she made.

"Yeah. Charlie should be home soon." I was reluctant to get up, but knew I had to. I dragged myself to my feet, and Bella laughed at my obvious disgruntlement.

"Do you want to run back, or do you want to fly?" she asked, getting that mischievous glint in her eye again. I couldn't refuse her when she looked like that. I knew what she wanted. I took a deep breath, steeling myself.

"Fly." Her entire face lit up like a Christmas tree, and I knew I had said the right thing. She must want to show me this so badly now that the secrets were all out.

She darted forward and grabbed my arm, swinging me up onto her back.

"You might want to close your eyes for take-off. It can be a little unsettling at first." I closed my eyes just in time to feel her run forward and jump. I foolishly waited for the landing that I knew wouldn't be coming. We had only been up for a few seconds before she turned to whisper in my ear.

"You can open your eyes now." And I did. It was amazing. The ground already seemed to be miles away. I could see the whole forest. I could see the meadow we were leaving behind. I could see the highway. I could see my truck. We were coming up to it extremely fast. I squinted into the wind as it whipped my hair into my face. I could hardly see anything through the tears that came with the wind.

It felt like I was sticking my head out of an airplane.

And then we were aimed down. The decent was slow at first, but Bella sped way up before long. Soon we were speeding downwards at breakneck speeds. When we were about a hundred feet above my truck, she came out of her, whatever-you-call-it. We circled lower and then we were on the ground again.

My legs didn't have a chance. I had barely touched the ground before they gave out from under me.

Bella laughed, more carefree than she had even been this morning.

"I guess that wasn't such a good idea after all." She chuckled. I was about to agree with her, when I made the mistake of looking at her first.

Her brown hair was windblown, yet still perfect. Her eyes were sparkling, and her cheeks probably hurt from forming such a radiant smile. I might not have loved the flight, but she had. She probably lived for it.

And if she loved it that much, it was just another reason for me to love it too.

"Are you kidding? That was so amazing. I just need to find my land legs again." I laughed, and found that I actually meant what I said. Bella had loved it, and I had loved it too.

She crouched down next to me, searching my eyes to see if I really meant it. I was once again caught by her effortless beauty. My heart sped up and she smirked.

"Are you feeling better?" she said, still smiling.

"Much better." I said. I looked into her eyes, getting lost in their depth.

"I just want to try one thing." I whispered. I leaned forward, looking into her eyes to guess how I would be received.

A/N: So how about that? It's 11 pages long. I'll be able to post longer chapters now because I am ahead. So there you go. Enjoy!


	11. Chapter 11

BPOV

I watched as he leaned forward. My mind scrambled to find out if I had the control for this. Could I handle this? I loved him so much, but his blood called to me. No, I would control myself. I could do this.

He paused, and it made me sad to see that it wasn't the usual kind of pause. Most humans paused to see if the other one wanted to kiss them. Edward knew I wanted to kiss him. Heck, I already had. But that had been short and sweet. This was different.

No. Edward paused to make sure I could handle myself. He paused so he would know if I would kiss him, or jump up and kill him.

I could handle this. I leaned forward and closed the last few inches between us.

It was pure bliss. I had never kissed anyone before, not really, not like this. It was perfect. Then he seemed to realize what was going on.

His hands went to my hair. He put more pressure against my lips. His mouth opened slightly and he sighed. I could practically taste him now.

I felt myself automatically stiffen. I stopped breathing. Carefully, oh so carefully, I took his hands out of my hair and put them at his side. Slowly, I put my hands on his shoulders and pulled away. Once I was free of him, I looked in his eyes. They were wide open. I wondered if he had even registered what was going on. I felt a corner of my mouth lift up in a small, sad smile.

"Should I move?" he asked, and as his breath fanned across my face, it took all I had to not attack him right then and there. This was Edward. I would not hurt him.

"No. Just stay still for a second." I held him there until I could feel the thirst leave. It wasn't gone, but it was back in second place behind Edward.

"There. Much better." I stood up and offered him my hand. He took it and I helped him up. "May I have the keys?"

He looked at me like I was insane.

"Let you have the keys? Is there a problem with my driving?"

"No, but no one should drive in your condition."

"Condition?"

"You're intoxicated by my very presence." I laughed. **(A/N: I love that line)**

He didn't agree with me, but then, he didn't disagree either, which was practically the same thing. He just reached out and placed the keys in my waiting palm. I flipped open my phone just as a text arrived.

_No police on the way home. I suggest you don't meet Charlie today._

"Well that's good to know." I said, closing my phone. Edward looked up as I said that.

"What?"

"There will be no police waiting for us on the drive home. Also, today's not a good day to meet Charlie."

"How do you kn…oh. Alice." I smiled. He caught on fast.

"Come on, you're late enough already." Edward stumbled to the door. I wasn't sure whether it was still aftershock of the flight, or the kiss. Soon we were speeding off though, and it didn't really matter anyway.

Apparently though, even after spending the whole day talking to me, Edward still didn't have the answers to all his questions.

"So, do you have any explanation as to why it is dark outside and the lights are all off, yet I can see as if it were daylight?" he questioned, and it took me a second to realize that he was right. There were no lights on, yet it was perfectly light inside the car. Of course, after that it only took a few seconds to realize the light was coming from me.

"I think it's me. Hmm. You know how I didn't know what would happen with my power when I felt love? I guess this is your answer. I…glow."

"Wow. I guess I'm just going to have to get used to having my view on life adjusted every few minutes if I want to be around you. Speaking of which, what are we going to tell the kids at school?" It amazed me how he could switch topics so quickly, but I went with it.

"We just tell them we're dating. It doesn't really matter what they think. They can't have any idea what's actually going on. Sure they'll think it's weird, but once again, you get used to having people think you're weird when you hang around with the Cullens."

"It's worth it." He whispered. If I had been human, a blush would be covering my cheeks. I remembered I used to have a problem with blushing. I couldn't even lie. My blush would give me away.

Instead, I got stuck with this power. I felt the bright red vine flowers climbing up my wrist. They started in my palm and twisted themselves up my arm, fully entwining them on me. They were red for embarrassment, yet were glowing too, from love. They billowed out unnaturally, defying gravity as they floated around me from happiness.

I looked over to see Edward looking on with fascination.

"Does this happen often?" I nodded while still trying to drive as the flowers were wrapping around my hands now.

"How do you blend in at school if you have flowers randomly coming out of your hands?" I chuckled, thinking of the answer of his question.

"I have to let them grow under the table. It drives Emmett and Jasper insane when all of a sudden, flowers start poking up on the edges of our lunch table." He shook his head in disbelief.

"This is so weird."

"We're here." I said, reluctantly driving up his driveway. He sighed when he looked out the window. "I'd go in with you, but Charlie's probably already seen your car and is waiting to bombard you. I have to go now, but I can come back later if you'd like. Don't make up your mind now. If you want me to come tonight, leave your window open."

Of course, I would be there regardless, he just didn't know that. I watched him get out of the car and walk inside. Then I jumped out of his truck as well and flew home.

EPOV

I walked into the kitchen knowing exactly what would greet me. Sure enough, Charlie was there waiting for me.

"Care to explain where you were?" He didn't seem too angry, just more suspicious.

"I went for a hike." Not a total lie.

"For eight hours?" Was it really that long? The day had seemed to fly by. I shrugged and started past him. The day had left me drained mentally and physically.

"Aren't you going to eat anything?"

"I'm not that hungry."

I left him at the table to think of his own explanation to my odd behavior. I went upstairs to take a shower and get changed. Soon I was ready to go to sleep. I walked into my room,

And heard a giggle.

"You sleep without a shirt on?"

I jumped. "What are you doing in my room!"

"Sorry, do you want me to leave?" I had a feeling she wasn't as joking as she seemed. Her lip was jutted out in a playful pout, but her eyebrows were slightly furrowed.

"No, no!" I calmed down and sat down on the corner of my bed, patting the space next to me. In a sixteenth of a second, she was next to me. I tried to slow my heart rate, knowing she could hear it.

"Hold very still." She whispered. I froze as best I could. She leaned down and but her head against my chest. I tried to slow my heart more, but she just chuckled and listened to it slow down. I don't know how long we sat there. It could have been minutes or hours. I couldn't tell. Time didn't seem to have an effect on us.

Eventually she pulled away, sitting back up. I looked over at her. Her face was glowing, again. Every part of my room was lit up in her otherworldly glow. She was absolutely radiant and I wondered once again how she could have chosen me.

"What are you thinking?" I asked, and realized for a start that that was the first time I had ever asked that. While I couldn't read minds, I had always been good at reading people. Bella was the only person I had ever met whose thoughts I couldn't even guess at. She laughed when she saw how frustrated I was and used her finger to smooth away the crease between my eyebrows.

"You don't have to ask that very often, do you?" she chuckled.

"Honestly, this is the first time I've ever had to ask that. I've always been able to read everyone. It's strange to not have even the slightest inkling of an idea of what you are feeling."

"Hmm." She said, and though I couldn't read her any better than ever, it seemed like she had a theory on this. Just as I was about to ask her, her phone rang. She looked at the caller ID, rolled her eyes, and flipped it open.

"Hello dear sister." She said; her voice light and teasing. I wondered if I'd ever get used to it. She laughed. "You know how much I love to surprise you. It's no fun when you know everything that's going to happen. Sure. I'll ask him. K." Her face grew troubled for a moment. "Okay. I'll take care of it." The phone clicked shut and she smirked at me.

"What was that about?"

"Alice had seen you were going to sit with us Monday, but I was still going to be keeping up that ridiculous pretence that you were just my friend. She never saw the whole meadow thing coming. It frustrated her. She likes to know what's coming next."

"What had you upset?"

"I'm sure it's nothing, it's just that some of Jasper's old friends are coming for a visit. Their names are Charlotte and Peter. They're perfectly friendly and kind, but they don't share our diet. We'll warn them to stay away from you, but I might remain a little overprotective for a while."

I felt myself tense up, but then allowed myself to relax as I remembered that Bella would never let anything bad happen to me. She would take care of me.

"Okay. Honestly, I don't mind. It just means I get to spend more time with you right?"

She looked troubled, but the light around her was still glowing, and she was still an inch or two off the floor, so I knew I needn't worry. "I guess. They arrive here tomorrow. Now, I've stressed you out. You need to go to sleep."

I got in my bed and watched as she walked toward my window.

"Wait," I called out, embarrassed about what I wanted to ask. "Will you stay?" I watched as her feet rose a few more inches off the ground and her glow got a little brighter.

"Sure, if that's what you want." She walked over and sat in the chair by the window. "Sleep tight, my Edward. I'll be here when you wake up." She then started humming a strange song that was foreign yet familiar.

I drifted off.

I had been dreaming of Bella again, when a loud growl woke me up. I sat up and looked around, only to stop dead.

Bella was crouched in front of me and two unnamed figures were across my room in a similar position. Both Bella and one of the strangers were growling. At my movement however, all sound ceased.

"Edward, go back to sleep. I have to go. I'll be back in the morning. Plug your ears now."

I did as she told me without question, too startled to think for myself. So I just watched as her mouth started to move rapidly. Suddenly, the tense position of the attackers relaxed and they both jumped out the window, followed by Bella. I was sure I wouldn't fall back asleep, but then a deep weariness came over me and I fell back onto the pillow.

BPOV

I had been sitting on the chair, watching Edward sleep, when his window had started to ease upward. I had gone over to stand by him when it opened all the way and two figures stepped in.

It was Peter and Charlotte.

I growled and their heads snapped up. They hadn't realized I was there. Acting entirely on instinct, they both crouched down, facing me. Peter growled back.

Honestly, I was amazed it didn't go any further than that. Edward sat up suddenly. We had all been too focused on each other to notice him waking up. As I turned around, my head was scrambling to think up a plan.

"Edward, go back to sleep. I have to go. I'll be back in the morning. Plug your ears now."

I watched to make sure he did so, and then turned around. Desperate times called for desperate measures, and so now I was stuck using my power I liked to least.

"Peter, Charlotte. You will not hurt him. You will go back out the window now and will run into the woods. I will follow you and you will wait for me so that we may talk."

I watched them leap out the window and then followed at a run. As I jumped out, I caught a glimpse of Jasper. Alice must have sent him. Then he was out of sight.

By the time I caught up with Peter and Charlotte, they were back to themselves.

"Oh my gosh, Bella! I'm so sorry. I can't believe I just almost attacked you." Charlotte was the first to apologize, but Peter looked on from behind. He nodded in my direction, and I knew that was his way of apologizing too. I thought that would be all I would get from him. Then he came forward.

"Bella, I do apologize for our mistake, but may I ask what you were doing in a human male's room at night, watching over him?" He posed it as if it was no big deal, but his eyes burned with intensity.

"I accept your apology. As for what I was doing in Edward's room, do you really not know, or are you just waiting for me to confirm your suspicions?"

"The second, of course. I have an idea, but I am desperately hoping that you will prove it wrong."

"That depends on what you suspect."

"I am not for games right now Bella. Is he or is he not your mate?" He exploded. That was Peter for you. Loyal, but with a short burning fuse that hid its spark until it reached the bomb. I looked right into his eyes to show him that I was completely serious.

"He is. And I expect you to respect that."

I heard Charlotte gasp and Peter's eyes widened. Even though they had expected it, that was entirely different than having it confirmed.

"Well now I feel wretched." Said Charlotte. "I am so sorry I almost attacked your mate. Sure I think it's odd that you fell in love with a human, but what about you family is normal?

"Please tell Jasper that we're sorry, but we'd like to come back later, under better circumstances."

"I am sorry you have to leave so soon, but I agree that it would be best." I waved them off and Charlotte gave me one more hug before following her mate off into the night. I picked up my phone to call Alice and was met with another text.

_Already told Jasper. Be with Edward when he wakes up. He'll take it better._

So I went back to Edward's room and sat there for the rest of the night. I wondered if it would all vanish. He had been perfectly fine with it yesterday, but he had only met good vampires. He would probably finally realize how dangerous being in my presence was. He would want me to leave, and I wouldn't deny him that, not if he really wanted that. In fact, it would probably be better for him if I just left.

I was brought from my thoughts with the sounds of him waking up.

EPOV

I woke up to see Bella sitting in the chair in the corner, looking at me with a worried look. At first I didn't understand her expression, but then the whole night flooded back in vivid Technicolor. I remembered now. Two vampires had come into my room last night. They had been about to attack me, but Bella had stopped them. So why did she look so nervous. There was nothing left to worry about. Unless…

"You're worried I'm going to be scared of you now aren't you?" All week, every time she had told me something about herself, she had looked at me as if waiting for me to run away.

She flashed me a sheepish smile, but I still sensed real worry behind it.

"If you want to send me running, you're going to have to try harder than that." I smiled and watched as some of the worry left her eyes. Her smile was more real now, but it still had a forced element to it. She caught me looking and strove to make it genuine. It worked fairly well, and then she just tried to change the subject.

"What would you like to do today?" she enquired. I noticed her head would tilt to the side slightly whenever she asked a question.

"Hmm. I'm not sure. Did you have something in mind?"

"Not really. Maybe you could introduce me to Charlie today. He seems nice. Besides, it's not like you're his daughter. I'm sure he'll approve of me. He won't try to scare me or anything. Now if our places had been reversed, it would be much harder. Everyone knows dads are much more protective of their daughters than they are of their sons."

"Okay, I guess. Maybe you could pick me up and say we were going to dinner. You had to pick me up because you know where it is."

"I guess that would work." She said, "We could say we're going up to Port Angeles for a movie and then dinner."

"Sure. Maybe I should go introduce him to the idea now. I have to work on my homework. What time are you going to be here?"

"What time do you want me to be here?"

"Just come at 4."

"Works for me." She laughed as she turned towards the window. She was about to open it up and jump when she paused and turned back. She quickly pressed her lips against mine and then was gone-once again-before I could react.

I tramped down the stairs. Charlie was sitting at the kitchen table with a plate of pasta in front of him.

"Pasta for breakfast?" I laughed.

"Lunch actually. It's already 11:30. How late did you stay up last night?"

"I don't know." I sat down next to him.

"Hey Edward, how would you feel about play a little catch later today?" I looked up, surprised. Charlie and I rarely interacted. He did his thing and I did mine. I could see now that he felt guilty about it.

"Sure dad. I'll play for a while, but I have a date at 4." He looked up, quietly showing me how surprised he was.

"A date? With who?" Here was the tricky part. I didn't know what Charlie thought of the Cullens. Everyone in town knew about the Cullens, but no one actually knew them. Of course they would keep to themselves. Considering the fact that they were vampires, it would be easier for everyone if they didn't get too cozy with anyone. But Charlie didn't need to know any of that.

"Bella Cullen." I replied, trying to make it seem like no big deal. His eyebrows rose even higher.

"That's odd. I've never heard of them interacting with anyone outside of school or work. How long have you known Bella?"

"Ever since I got here. She sits next to me in science class."

"Well okay. We'll be done outside by 4."

"Great." I said, and was surprised to realize I meant it. "I've got some homework to do, and I'm sure you've got something to do too, so how about we play after we're done?"

"Sounds good." I got up and went back upstairs. I went to turn on some music and laughed when I saw that Bella had left another Alicia Bella CD on top of it. I put it in and started in on the massive pile of work.

"You should probably go back in to get ready soon." Charlie said. We were in the backyard tossing a baseball back and forth. Honestly, it was all extremely awkward. Neither of us really had much to say. We had only been out for about a half an hour. Charlie was right though. I should be getting back inside.

"Just a few more passes." I said, more for his benefit than mine. I didn't want to seem too eager to escape. I knew I had made the right choice when he smiled a little bit and tossed the ball back.

"Mind if I join you?" a voice rang. I would recognize it anywhere. Sure enough, I turned around to see Bella standing there, wearing a white tee-shirt and jeans. It was casual, yet she was as beautiful as always. I turned back around to introduce her.

"Dad, this is Bella." I said, loving the way her name felt on my tongue.

"It's very nice to meet you Chief Swan. I've been eager to meet you for a while. Carlisle speaks quite highly of you." Well, if there was a way to wrap Charlie around your finger in 3 sentences, Bella had found it. I could see that he was in slight shock. He had a right to be. No one was that polite anymore. I could already see he approved.

"It's nice to meet you as well Isabella."

"Please just call me Bella. Isabella is way too old fashioned. So, were you just heading inside, or can I join you?"

"Edward was just about to go inside, but I'm sure we could stay out for a few more minutes." She smiled an angelic smile that left Charlie slightly dazzled, and went to go stand an equal distance from him and me, forming a triangle.

Charlie tossed the ball to her at first, obviously going easy on her. She caught it easily with a smirk and threw it to me. It went right into the glove. Obviously she was trying to show that she was a capable baseball player and didn't need anyone to go easy on her. I smiled at her and threw it to Charlie.

He threw it a little harder this time, but she caught it as easily as before. Soon we were all throwing it as hard and fast as we could, a contest to see who could last the longest. Within five minutes, Bella had thrown both me and Charlie out, but had kept her human cover perfectly. When Charlie wasn't looking, she winked at me.

"Well, it's good to see that Edward has a good taste in women." Charlie said, after finally consenting to defeat. "If you'll forgive me, I was expecting you to be like most of the girls in this town, nice and pretty, but gossipers and not at all into sports. Thankfully, I don't mind being wrong about this."

She smiled again. "I'm glad to have proved you wrong. While the other girls in school are fine, I like to think I'm different. Now if you'd excuse me, this has been fun, but Edward and I need to get going. We're headed to a movie in Port Angeles and then dinner."

"Oh, well don't let me stop you. Go have fun."

"Thank you Chief."

"You're welcome, and please call me Charlie."

"Got it." She grabbed my hand and started for her truck, dragging me along behind. She waved at Charlie over her shoulder as we went around the corner of the house. Of course, she had brought her Porsche. She drove that thing at any chance she could get. I went over to open the driver's door for her, sense I knew she would be driving.

"Do you know how long it's been sense a man opened the door for me? Sure, they hold it sometimes, but you are the only boy I know who does that. It brings back memories." She slid into her seat and gripped the wheel. "Though back then it would have been unheard of for a woman to be driving, so guess it's a good and bad thing."

I sat in the passenger seat and she backed out, going at the speed limit. I looked at her incredulously, but she gestured to the house. Of course, Charlie was watching us pull out. I reached over to pick out a CD and noticed something. She had a basket for regular music, but then she had a whole other basket full of Alicia Bell CDs.

"Okay, I know you like Alicia Bell, but there is no way all you have all of these just because you like her. I can't see you getting that addicted to one singer."

"Do you know how observant you are? No other human would have noticed that. You're right though."

"So then why do you have such a collection?"

"I wrote the songs." She laughed, seeing the blatant confusion on my face. "I write music all the time. It's what calms me down. My family had always tried to convince me to make my music public, and they finally did a few years ago. Now, whenever I write a song, I simplify it so a human can play it, then I put it into Alicia's head. So really, if you want to know how I'm feeling, you just have to listen to Alicia's newest song."

It took a while for that to process. The car was silent for a while and I noticed that there was a slight vibration in the air. It was subtle, yet once you noticed it; it was all you could think about. I wondered how I had missed it before. I looked over and noticed that Bella's leg was jiggling in time with the vibrations.

"Is that you?" her head whipped around.

"I swear there is nothing about you that is normal Edward Masen. Maybe it's the result of growing up with your mom, but you notice everything."

"I'm taking that as a yes."

"Sorry, it does that when I'm nervous."

"And what would you be nervous about?"

"I just admitted to you that I put thoughts into someone's head and make them write songs! That doesn't disturb you at all?" She sounded angry, but looked like she would be crying if she could. "Every second I'm around you, your life is in danger. Every time I touch you, every time I _kiss_ you, you could die! I love you, I love you so much, but I'm can't see how you could love me back. I'm not right for you. I'm never going to die. You should go on and get married and live a long human life without having to worry about whether or not you're going to be attacked in the middle of the night while you're asleep! I can hardly protect you and I'm always with you. It's not fair to you at all.

"Worst is, I _want_ to kill you! Every second I sit here, my throat is burning with the need to _drink_ your _blood_. That's not normal. I want to kill the person I love." Her face dropped into her hands so I barely caught her last sentence.

I brought my head up. The whole time Bella had been talking, a thought had been running through my head and I couldn't get it out. It was the perfect solution to all of this. I could be with my Bella forever, and she wouldn't have to worry about me getting hurt ever again. _I_ would be able to protect _her_.

"Then change me." The words left my mouth in a whisper so that even I hardly heard them. But Bella could hear them, and that was all that mattered. Her head jerked up, and it hit the back of her seat, cracking it slightly. Her eyes flicked up and burned into mine, as if to check if I was serious. I kept my expression steady, not showing how alarmed I was at her reaction.

"This isn't right." She said, and her voice was full of pain now. "You're not supposed to want this. You're not even supposed to know about this. You could die if someone found out that you knew."

That got my attention, though I guess I should have known. How else had they gone undetected for so long? I realized I should be scared, but I wasn't. Bella would never let anything happen to me.

"How can you be calm?" She howled, "You just figured out your life was in danger and you're not even the slightest bit scared." Her voice was loud now, and I was thankful that the interior of the car seemed to absorb sound so I didn't go deaf. Suddenly, her voice cut off and her head fell again. Her shoulders shook with tears that she would never shed and her hands twisted themselves into her hair.

I reached over and put my fingers under her chin, tilting her face up. She looked into my eyes and I felt my breath catch again from her raw beauty at this moment. I wrapped my arms around her and we sat like that indefinitely.


	12. Chapter 12

BPOV

After I calmed down, Edward made me explain the Volturi to him, and why they would kill him. I tried to remain in the moment, but my mind kept drifting back to the argument I'd had with myself all last night. Now I was only enforcing my argument. Edward was in danger just from being near me. He shouldn't be forced to choose between being with me and having a human life. He might regret his decision once he'd made it, and there'd be no going back.

The solution was obvious, and I knew what I should do, but I didn't want to. So my mind was stuck in a draw for the rest of the day. Edward and I ended up spending our whole 'date' on the shoulder of the road, talking. I got Edward some fast food on the way home and he went to sleep quickly.

Still I argued with my self. I argued with myself all night. Finally, I looked out the window and saw that the sun was rising. Alice hadn't called me yet, so I assumed that Edward was still eating lunch with us today. I decided that for now I would just live in the now. I needed to be there for Edward. So I sat back and let out a sigh. I hadn't decided yet, but I got a break from worrying.

"Morning." Edward said, his voice slurred with sleep. I smiled at how cute he was. He had a total bed head and one side of his hair was sticking straight up.

"Morning. Come on, you're eating lunch with us today, and I need to go change out of these clothes. I'll be back to pick you up or I could meet you at school."

"I'll meet you there." He said, his mouth pulling up into a beautiful crooked smile. I chuckled and swooped in for a quick kiss. Then I jumped out the window and ran home.

"What happened last night?" Alice practically screamed at me as I walked through the door. "I kept seeing our future switch between us moving, and you and Edward spending eternity together. Why were you even considering leaving?"

"I don't want to talk about it right now Alice. Just be happy to know that we're not going anywhere right now."

She humphed and stomped out of the room, but I didn't let it bother me. I already had enough worries. I walked upstairs and threw on a tee-shirt and jeans. Alice was too mad to come up and dress me herself. I ran outside and got in my Volvo. With record speed, I made it to the school. I was pleased to see that I only heard Edward coming a few seconds before he came into the parking lot rather than minutes.

"Care to join me?" I asked, walking up to his door as he opened it. A brilliant smile lit up his face. Together we walked into the school. Eventually, we had to separate to go to our different classes. I'd have to get Alice to fix that. I went through all my classes, holding out for lunch when I would get to see Edward again.

Finally, the bell rang, and I was the first person out of third period, running down the hallway, almost giving up the human pretence.

"Hello, Isabella." Edward smiled, waiting for me outside the lunchroom. I took his arm and we went into the cafeteria together.

EPOV

All talk ceased as we went through, but we pretended not to notice. The school had been suspicious that we were together, but this definitely confirmed it. I filled a tray and pretended to ask Bella what she wanted so she wouldn't have to make her own.

Soon we were walking over to the table that was especially reserved for the Cullens. All of them were already there, and most looked excited. Alice was bouncing in her seat, and Emmett's smile was a mile wide. Jasper was smiling slightly, and Rosalie was almost identical to him. I smiled back and sat down next to Bella.

"Hey Eddy!" Emmett said, already marking himself as someone who loved mischief.

"It's Edward, actually." I said, and it came out stiffer than I had hoped.

"I know." He replied, "but Alice said it would annoy you if I called you Eddy, so here we are." He smirked, and there was a challenge in his eyes. I knew it was a sort of test.

"Trust me Edward, you don't want to die on that hill. Just let it go and he'll stop. If you show how much it annoys you, he'll just do it more." Alice chuckled. "Sorry, I probably shouldn't have told him it would bother you. I was just so excited when I saw you'd be sitting with us. Did you know we haven't eaten lunch with a human since we were human ourselves?"

I just smiled, unsure of how to respond to that. Bella leaned over and took a bottle of juice off my tray. I watched as she took off the cap, raised the bottle to her lips, and put it back down, without letting any of the liquid get in her mouth. She put it back down on our tray and then proceeded to pick her bagel apart into tiny pieces which she then arranged in different patterns.

I was about to comment on a particularly artistic pattern when a crash rang out, followed by a yell. Apparently, someone had dropped a glass soda bottle that had shattered into tiny pieces, a few of which went into Mike Newton's arm. I watched in shock as blood started to run down his arm.

Everyone around me tensed.

Suddenly, there was a large amount of movement going on at our table, and if everyone's attention hadn't been diverted, they would have seen some pretty strange things.

Alice grabbed Jasper by the arm and practically dragged him out of the room. Emmett reached over to restrain Rosalie, whose eyes were suddenly black, when he himself stiffened. His nostrils flared. Next to me, Bella cussed and started to disentangle herself from the vine flowers that had been gradually growing along the bottom of the table. She was not a moment too soon and launched herself at Emmett right before he launched himself at Mike. She grabbed Roses arm in one hand and Emmett's in her other and dragged them out of the room too. I followed, still in shock.

As soon as they were out in the fresh air, everyone started to calm down. Bella had never really lost her cool throughout it all, and neither had Alice, but the others stood in the courtyard taking deep breaths and waiting as their eyes slowly faded back to gold.

I looked over at Bella, and what I saw scared me. Her face had been conflicted for the past day, but it seemed like it was gone now. Whatever argument she had been having with herself, she had come up with a result, and it wasn't one she liked. Suddenly Alice went stiff, her eyes staring straight ahead. She came out of the vision with an alarmed a heartbroken face. She looked right at Bella.

"Are you sure?" Bella just nodded, and I saw that I wasn't the only one looking at them wondering what was going on. Alice turned to the rest of them. "School is out for the rest of the day. Mike has to go to the emergency room and everyone's going to skip to go with him. We can go home. Bella, why don't you ride home with Edward and then come back home for a family meeting?"

As an answer, Bella started walking in the direction of my car. I followed her, wondering what this change could mean for us. Bella didn't seem willing to talk, but I needed to know what was going on. I would talk to her when we got home.

The drive home was silent, and it was an awkward silence that I had thought wouldn't occur anymore. Eventually, we pulled up to my house and Bella got out with me.

"Would you like to go for a walk?" she asked, turning to me.

"Sure." I said, hoping that this would mean a chance to talk.

She set out at a diagonal across my backyard and then down the same path I had walked when I had been attacked by the bear. We walked for only a few minutes before she turned and faced me.

"Edward, this isn't going to work. I love you, so much, but today when Mike cut open his arm, I realized that could have just as easily happened to you. If it was your blood that had been spilt, I wouldn't have been able to control myself. Worse, Jasper would feel all my bloodlust and he would attack while sending it out to others. You could die so easily, and it would have been my fault.

"I can't do that Edward. I wouldn't be able to live with myself. You deserve a long, human life without me in it. You need to move on and forget about me and my world. There's only one way to solve this. Edward, I have to take myself out of your life."

"You're leaving?" I felt myself say, finally making sense of her words. "I'll never be able to move on, and I'd never forget, even if I wanted to. It would make it even worse if you left. You would never leave my thoughts. I'd never let you if that's what it would take to remember." I tried as hard as I could to convince her that I was right. She couldn't leave. I'd only known her for eight days, and she was my whole life. She smiled sadly.

"I know, my Edward. Besides, if I was going to leave, this would be the entirely wrong way of going about it. I'd probably have to lie to you and tell you I didn't love you or something like that." I sighed in relief. She wasn't leaving. She wasn't going to leave me alone, and as long as she was near enough for me to even see I'd never forget her.

"But Edward, you're lying to yourself, even if you don't realize it. You said that there was no way you could forget me, but I know of one, and I think you do too."

She looked right into my eyes right then, and I felt like there was something obvious that I was missing, or that my mind wasn't allowing me to remember.

"Edward," she prodded, "As a human, you might not allow yourself to forget, and you would succeed, but I'm a vampire. I'm not restrained by the regular human bindings." I still wasn't getting it. "How do I get my songs out in the public?"

I was caught by surprise by her seemingly random question. She got her songs out in the public by writing them and then putting them in Alicia Bell's head…oh. I looked up into her eyes, knowing that even though I wanted to run now, just to escape for a time so she couldn't do this, I couldn't. She would catch me.

"You're going to brainwash me."

**~sorry, I couldn't help but end it there. Sadly, I'm not that evil, so you'll find another chapter on the next page.**

**~School-is-my-purgatory**


	13. Chapter 13

EPOV

"You're going to brainwash me." I said, understanding now, and recalling the time in the meadow when she had explained the workings of her power to me. She just nodded a small nod.

"But before I do, know this. Edward, I'm doing this to protect you. I want to be around you, but I'm a danger to you. I love you." And then she bent down for one last kiss. She pressed her lips to mine and wound her fingers in her hair. I kissed her back with as much love as I could, trying to show her that she didn't have to do this. Then she pulled back and I saw the resolve in her eyes. There would be no changing her mind.

"I love you more than you'll ever know or understand, and I hope you can forgive me for what I am about to do." I looked up to argue once more, but stopped when I looked in her eyes. They were so deep, endless. They were the most beautiful eyes I had ever seen, and I would be perfectly happy to stare into them for the rest of my life.

I was aware of her lips moving, but I couldn't hear what she said.

Then I passed out.

BPOV

I kissed him one last time, wishing that there was some easier way to protect him, but no, as long as he knew about the vampire world, he would be in danger. I would not change him. That was not even a considerable solution. So I kissed him with all I could and then pulled back.

He glanced away and I got my eyes up to full, hypnotic power. As soon as he looked into my eyes, he would be caught. I wouldn't know him anymore, and he wouldn't know me. I thought of my life before him and my resolve wavered. There had to be another way. But no, I had been thinking for a long time, and this was the only thing I could come up with.

He glanced back, and for a second I saw the Edward I loved, ready to do anything he could to stay with me. He wasn't scared. But then he looked into my eyes and I watched as he became the thing I hated. His mind was a ball of putty for me to mold and shape at my will. He was no longer a living thing; he was an extension of me. A servant. I almost broke then too, but this had to be done.

"You don't love Isabella Cullen. You never did. Isabella has been rude to you ever since you came here, and you want nothing to do with her. At first she was nice, but then she showed her true colors as a world-class idiot and jerk. When you sat with her the past few days, it was only because you needed help with your biology and she had to help you as your lab partner. You hate her. You will avoid her at all costs and you don't love her."

Every word was a knife to my heart, but they needed to be said. I released him from the hold of my eyes and watched as he passed out. I lifted myself to my dead feet and carried him back to his room. I put him on his bed and left him there, stopping myself from kissing his forehead. He wouldn't wake up till the morning.

I ran downstairs and forged a note in his handwriting.

_Headache. It's probably nothing, but I went to sleep. -Edward._

Then, I ran out the door and back home, wishing I could cry.

"Well, I think you're an idiot." Were the first words out of Alice's mouth when I walked through the door.

"What's done is done. There's no going back and there was nothing else I could do."

"I can think of a lot of things you could have done other than that."

"Alice!" I shouted, and then lowered my voice as I heard the window in my room shatter. "I know there were other options, but I couldn't do that to him. Please just accept this." She looked up into my eyes and I know she saw pain there. I felt like I was drowning, like I was in the middle of an ocean and the only thing that kept my above water was the fact that I would still get to see Edward.

"Let's go talk to the family." She said, giving up. We walked into the dining room where my family was already assembled. They looked up and I saw the sadness in their eyes as they saw that something had gone wrong. They had just gotten used to my being happy over the past week, and now it was all gone.

"It's done." I said, and my voice came out hoarse and raspy.

"We're leaving?" asked Carlisle. I knew he disapproved of this idea, but he would go along with it for me. The rest of the family frowned.

"No," I said, and their faces brightened considerably. "He doesn't remember it. He can't remember anything that happened this week. He hates me." I heard the self-disgust saturating my voice. Instantly, Esme's arms were around me.

"Oh honey, you don't know that. Besides, there is no possible way he could hate you." I pulled away from her embrace. I didn't deserve any of their compassion. I was a monster.

"Yes Esme, I can know that. Edward hates me and wants nothing else to do with me. In fact, he thinks I'm a jerk and an idiot, and he'll do everything he can to avoid me." I saw she was confused and about to protest. I interrupted before she could start. "I know this because I told him so. I put the thoughts in his head. He doesn't even know that I like to be called Bella. He doesn't remember a thing about me."

And with that I turned away and went upstairs to my room. I locked the door-more as a sign than a block-and curled up on my couch. Sobs wracked my body until the sun started to peak over the edge of the world.

A timid knock sounded on my door and I got up to answer it.

"Maybe you should stay home from school today honey." Esme suggested, and this time I didn't put up a fight when she hugged me.

"No. This is my only chance to see Edward now. I'm not going to waste it." I picked up a change of clothes that fit my mood. Black on black. Then I walked down the hall to the bathroom and took a shower.

EPOV

I woke up in my room with no idea how I got here. I wracked my brain, trying to remember. Something to do with Bella…wait, who was Bella? I only knew an Isabella, my despicable lab partner. What had I done in my past lives to deserve sitting next to her in class?

Slowly, I dragged myself out of bed, and yesterday trickled back into my head. I had gone through my day like normal and then I had sat with Isabella at lunch. She was still being friendly then, but after lunch she rode home with me. I couldn't remember why. When we got home, she had turned into a complete jerk and then left. I had gotten a headache and gone to bed early.

What a great way to start the day.

I pulled up in the parking lot in my truck. I was so glad I had gotten the mechanic down the road to fix up my car. It had been worth the fortune it cost me.

Reluctantly, I hoisted myself out of the cab to start another day at school where I would be forced to sit next to Isabella Cullen. I walked slowly into the building, trying to ignore the silver Volvo in my peripheral vision. I wouldn't worry about that until I had to.

I went through all my classes, the whole time feeling like something was missing. It almost felt like I was paying too much attention. Like my body wasn't used to focusing on the present this much. But why would that be? I would always pay close attention in school and everywhere else, and I couldn't think of any reason I should feel like this. I brushed it off and tried even harder to focus. Still, it was a relief when lunch came around.

I walked into the lunch room and pointedly ignored the table in the corner where I knew she would be sitting with her family. Strangely, I didn't feel like eating with my normal group either, so I took my lunch to a corner of the lunch room far away from them, and sat with my back to that corner.

BPOV

"Well, I have to admit, you did an amazing job." Jasper said, and I allowed my dead head to rise slightly to show I was listening. "He absolutely loathes you and us." Someone else in my family hit him across the chest. I didn't look up to see who it was even when I heard the furious whispers. _What do you think you're doing? It's hard enough without us criticizing._

I looked over the sea of heads in the lunch room to find the one that belonged to the only person I had ever loved. He was my soul mate, and yet, I would be forced to be rude to him, or we'd end up repeating all of this. I was just glad he wasn't looking my way to see the miserable state I was in.

My hair was completely messed up from my laying in the same position all night. My eyes were black and had deep circles under them, even though I had hunted just the other day. My face was pinched and hard from the pain of having Edward hate me, but I felt it softening just from watching him across the cafeteria. The rain poured down outside, and I knew that it was supposed to be sunny today, but thanks to me, the rain was falling.

"Bella, you need to go to class." Alice interrupted my pondering and I looked up to see that the lunchroom was completely empty. I dragged myself to my feet and headed off to the class that I had been dreading all day. I walked down the crowded halls and came into biology with a few minutes to spare. I sat down next to Edward and tried to ignore him. Maybe that was what I could. I could pretend to be giving him the silent treatment. Maybe then I wouldn't have to hurt him.

Just then Mr. Banner walked into the room and completely dashed all my hopes with one sentence. "We will be doing a group lab today." He announced, as if he wasn't the cause for my ultimate suffering. I reluctantly turned to Edward, making sure my eyes were filled with fake disgust.

"Isabella." He acknowledged with a nod. It felt like he had ripped out my heart and stomped on it with one word.

"Masen." I replied, calling him by his surname, knowing I would never be able to keep the love out of my voice if I said his first name. I saw a tightening around his eyes, and even that little twitch of annoyance made me want to take whoever was hurting him and crush him to pieces. Except it was me now.

I leaned back in my chair as if nothing was bothering me. It was killing me to do this. I felt like I would burst into dry sobs at any moment. I forced myself to focus on something else. I was doing this to protect Edward. Nothing else mattered. As long as he was safe, I would be fine.

I spent the rest of the class working with Edward on a project I couldn't remember. There was a tense silence that penetrated every corner of my mind as I sat there, longing to let things go back to the way they were before. I had a new mantra. _It's all for Edward's safety. It's all for Edward's safety._ I didn't let it leave my head for a minute. If it did, my will would surely crumble.

The next month passed in a blur of pain and boredom. I spent every free moment thinking about Edward. I zoned out often. I frequently forgot to hunt. I ignored my family and played along every biology class like a good little vampire girl. After school I spent most of my time playing the part of Edward's crazy, deranged stalker.

Forks was constantly raining these days. Even though rain was usual, this was more than people were used to. I didn't care if they got suspicious. They could never trace this back to me.

So that's what I was doing right now. I was standing in the downpour outside Edward's window when I got a text from Alice. I glanced down at the phone in my hand with a bored expression on my face. I was sure it could wait. Then she texted again, and I felt the slight curiosity I had now prick. It had to be something important. She hadn't texted me in the past month. I picked it up.

_Come home now. Emergency. This involves him._

I didn't have to ask who he was. There was only one boy that had any effect on me any more. While it was possible that Alice had put that there to make me come home, I didn't think she would do that, and I couldn't take that risk. I stood up and ran in the direction of our house.

"I can't believe you almost didn't come home when I first texted you!" Alice practically shouted when I walked in. "Aro's coming for a visit! I still don't know what it's all about, but it's got something to do with Edward." I flinched at his name and her face softened slightly.

"Come on Bella. You broke the rules, but you fixed your mistake, and it's all okay now. He can't find any fault with you."

I just trudged upstairs, calling out behind me. "Just tell me when he gets here." I went up into my music room and softly played a song that was filled with sadness and pain. It traveled throughout the house and fit my mood perfectly.

I think I lost track of time, because the next thing I knew, I heard Alice calling my name through a thick haze that was almost like sleep. I realized I was still playing and quickly stopped, leaving the song to come to an unsatisfactory ending. But wasn't that the way of everything? It went on sad and painful, and still it comes to a terrible ending.

I came downstairs just as there was a knock on our door. I stood slightly behind Jasper and waited with my family for Aro to come in. Soon the door opened, and Aro walking in accompanied by three of his guards hidden beneath their cloaks.

"Hello Carlisle. How are you? It's been too long." Aro swept in with his usual cheery nature. I watched as he greeted everyone in my family and ignored him when he came to me. Eventually, he got to the point.

"Sadly, I am afraid this not just a friendly visit. I am here to discuss a curious thing I heard the other day. I ran into some old friends named Charlotte and Peter who said they were on their way home from visiting you. We had a pleasant time, but at the last second I shook Peters hand and learned about something involving a human that occurred here. Isabella?"

He gestured that I was supposed to come out and talk to him myself. Reluctantly, I walked to the front of my family.

"Do you deny the fact that you revealed the existence of vampires to a human male and then allowed him to live?" he looked right in my eyes, and I felt all the anger that I had kept locked up lately spill over. Anger at me for hurting Edward. Anger at me for making him hate me. Anger at me for taking away his free will. Anger at Aro to come now and rub it in my face. It took all I had not to attack him right then and there. Even so, all the windows in the house burst inward. I ignored it all.

"Yes." I spat. His face lit up, and I knew exactly why he was happy. He wanted me to join the guard. He wanted me badly. Now he had a chance to offer my death, or a chance to _redeem_ myself by joining the guard. "Yes," I stated again, slowly getting control of my anger with the help of Jasper. "I did let him live, but he doesn't know it."

"I'm sorry, I'm not sure I'm following you." He said, looking extremely frustrated by the fact.

"He doesn't know I spared his life because he doesn't remember that he was in danger. I swiped his memory and planted a false one. He has no idea that I love him. He hates me and my family." I stated, furious that he made me explain this. Wasn't I already in enough pain?

"And how do I know you're telling the truth?" He asked, raising an eyebrow. I started to say he could just shake my hand, but then I realized he couldn't. Aro couldn't read my mind, a fact that had annoyed him ever since he met me. He could touch my hand all he liked and he wouldn't even get a whisper. He couldn't even get it from my family, because I only told them. They didn't know if it was actually true.

Which meant he had to go see Edward. But I could never let that happen. I took Edward out of my life so he didn't have to be in danger anymore. If Aro showed up on his doorstep, that would be one of the most dangerous things that could happen to him.

But if Aro didn't go see Edward, there could be no doubt that he would die. So it had to happen. Aro would have to go meet Edward.

"You could shake Edward's hand." I said, reluctantly. "But I have conditions if you are going to go near him. First, he can't know that you just want to shake his hand. You have to make this seem like a completely normal thing. Second, Esme gets to go with you and stand by you while the rest of us wait near by. This is so if you try anything funny, Esme can hold you back while the rest of us come." It had to be Esme; because she was the only one Edward hadn't met yet.

He leveled a look at me, and then seemed to give in. "Okay. I accept your terms." He turned around and walked back outside, seeming to already have a plan.

EPOV

The next few months passed quickly. I went through school and continued to get good grades. I didn't make any close friends, but I had always been that way. The strange thing was that I always felt weirdly empty, like there was something missing in my life. I also noticed some strange things. I found out that I had a sudden change in musical tastes. While I still liked everything, I had a certain preference for Alicia Bell.

Also, there were times when I would walk through my room and see something that I had no recollection of purchasing. If I stared at it long enough, my mind would come up with an explanation, but it seemed to take longer than was natural.

Other than that, everything was normal. I still hated Isabella. I still went to Forks High. I still drove a red truck. In fact, everything else was so normal, that I started to disregard the odd bits. Soon, they just became a part of my life.

I was making dinner when I hear a knock on the door. I went over to open it and saw a strange man at my door. He had black hair and red eyes. His skin was brittle and his eyes had a milky cover over them. Even though he appeared to be in his twenties, the wisdom in his eyes made him seem much older than that.

Next to him was a woman with caramel colored hair and golden eyes. She looked like Isabella in some ways, but there was a kindness in her eyes that I had never seen in Isabella's. They wore identical outfits with a logo across the front that I couldn't quite read.

"Hello Sr." said the man, holding out his hand and shaking mine. His eyes seemed to zone out for I minute, but then his partner started talking.

"I'm sorry. Is your father or mother home?" she asked. I knew it was ridiculous, but something about the man made me want to run away. I wasn't used to feeling weak, and it made me go back to when I was a little kid.

"Neither of them is available at this moment. I apologize. If you want…" Suddenly, I couldn't speak anymore. One second I was on my feet, the next, I was flying through the air at an incomprehensible speed. Everything turned into a blur of green around me. I couldn't see anything, but that didn't keep me from hearing anything.

I was put in the back of a car. The door started to close, but right before it did, a tortured yet strangely familiar voice rang out.

"_EDWARD!_"

And then everything went black.

**And, I'm still evil. I think im getting better at the whol cliffy thing. It's actually kind of fun. Don't worry though; I think I have one page left to this story, so you should be getting around an update a day.**


	14. Chapter 14

BPOV

I had never hated anyone more than I hated Aro at that moment.

He had taken Edwards hand one second, and the next thing I knew, he was running with Edward through the forest and putting him in a car. He must have heard something promising in his head. That was the only explanation.

I took off after the car, but knew it was a lost cause. I wouldn't be able to track a car once it got on the highway. At least, not if I ran. I would have to fly. The rest of my family could follow on a plane if they wanted to follow. The only advantage here was that Aro didn't know I could fly.

Without consulting my family, I jumped up and shot off into the air, following the car. I wouldn't be able to attack the car before we got there for fear of hurting Edward. He was right below me now. He was probably confused and scared, but I couldn't give him his memory back yet. That would give everything away to Aro. Besides, it was probably better that Edward didn't know the extent of his danger yet. It didn't matter. He didn't need to know. I would get to him before he needed to know everything. Aro could drive to the end of the Earth and I would follow.

I'm coming for you my Edward.

EPOV

I woke up with my face pressed uncomfortably against the window of an airplane and a throbbing bump on the left side of my head. I looked around and saw that I was in a private jet. At first I was confused, but then everything came back.

I had been at home when a man had come and kidnapped me. I realized how little I actually knew. I had no idea what had caused this man to take me away. I didn't know how he had moved so fast. Heck, I didn't even know who he was.

I wondered where I was going. I wondered what would happen at home. Would anyone look for me? Would they eventually pronounce me dead? Who had screamed?

I was pulled out of my ponderings by a man who suddenly appeared at my side. I couldn't see what he looked like because he was covered in a black cloak, but I could tell from his height that he wasn't my kidnapper.

"Would you like anything to eat?" he asked, and his voice was rough and harsh. I flinched.

"No thank you." I said, even though I was starving. I sat back in my chair and found myself falling back into sleep even though I had just woken up.

The next time I woke up, it was because of the pain in my ears. Apparently we were landing. I sat up and tried to make the fog leave my mind. I needed to be alert to try and find a way to escape.

I jumped when the same man from before appeared at my side and picked me up. If I weren't in a life-or-death situation, I would be completely embarrassed. At first I tried to look around, but I soon realized it was a lost cause and just closed my eyes to avoid motion sickness.

In a few minutes we stopped in front of a grate in the ground of a narrow street that appeared to be somewhere in Europe. That was about all I could see before he jumped. I was just going over the edge when I saw two golden eyes. Before I had time to see who they belonged to the darkness swallowed me.

BPOV (Sorry, this part of my story will require a lot of switching)

I followed the car all the way to a private airport. Aro got out with Felix and Demitri. Edward was suspended between them. They loaded into a jet and took off in seconds. I waited until we got up to a good coasting altitude and then sat on the top of the plane listening to the sound of Edward's breathing as he slept.

A few hours later we landed in Volterra. Demitri jumped out of the plane carrying Edward and took off through the city. I followed him closely until he got to the drain entrance. I watched my Edward disappear through the hole in the street and then took off toward the tourist entry. This would go best if I confronted Aro immediately.

Within minutes I was walking down the hallway to the throne room. The oak door opened right before I got to them and I walked through to see Aro already on his throne with his brothers near him. All my rage that I had been keeping in control burst into life. It took everything I had to keep it off my face.

"What did you do to Edward?" I yelled, unable to control my voice. He smirked and I could see that he was actually enjoying my pain.

"Isabella dearest, your Edward has great potential. He would make a great vampire, surpassed only by few. Me, my brothers, and-of course-you. I would never give him up without a proper sacrifice." It all made sense now. I had guessed that Edward would be quite powerful when he became a vampire, but I never thought Aro would be able to notice. Of course, this was all a scheme to get me to join the guard. Even if I didn't, Aro would still get Edward.

"Aro, you are a sick, manipulative…" (I'll stop here to keep my K+ rating.) The whole time I was yelling at him, he had this ridiculous smirk on his face.

"Honestly Isabella, if you don't care about Edward, you don't have to join. It's all up to you. I just think I deserve a reward for all that trouble I went through to get you to come here, be it you or Edward."

"If I join, you swear you won't keep Edward here any longer?" I felt childish agreeing this. Deep down I knew he would never keep his word, but I was desperate. Edward had to be let go.

"I swear." He said, his smile mocking me. He made a gesture with his hand and Felix came forward with a black robe. "Why don't you put that on over your clothes?" he suggested, and I did. When it was on I pulled the hood up and looked around, noticing that Felix was gone.

I started to wonder where he was going, but was stopped when he came back in, dragging Edward behind him.

EPOV

I felt the air moving past me, but I couldn't tell I was moving. Everything was black. I couldn't see a thing. Then we breezed through a cheery gold lobby that seemed out of place and down another hall. I was thrown into a small, featureless room and left to sit. I found myself thinking about Isabella. I felt almost guilty that I had never felt anything towards her but hate, and now I was probably going to die. I was moving on to my dad when another man came in and got me.

He grabbed me by my arm and dragged me, not worrying about leaving bruises. Apparently he wasn't in a hurry either, because we were walking at a relatively human pace. Before long two huge, oak doors loomed up in front of me. I didn't get a good look at them before they were flung open to reveal a room that was almost empty excepting three men sitting on thrones, one of which was my captor. The only other figure was a slight girl in the middle of the room.

As I walked in, all eyes turned to me. My captor stood up and said in a triumphant voice: "There. I promised you that I wouldn't keep dear Edward here any longer. But, if he can't be here, then he certainly can't be anywhere else after what he's seen."

It didn't take me very long to understand what he meant, but it was enough time for the man standing next to me to reach out his hands. Maybe he was going to break my arm; maybe he was just going to choke me. All I know is that one second, the last figure was standing frozen as if horror-struck, the next she was stopping the man's arm.

Her pale hands reached out and wrapped around the man's, making his fingers curl back into fists.

"Okay Aro. I give up. Just give us a few days. Don't change him yet. Let me talk to him." Her voice was just a soft, defeated whisper that I had to strain to catch. Apparently _Aro_ could hear just fine. He clapped his hands.

"Delightful!" he said. "Felix, please lead our two guests to the room you had Edward in." Felix started to reach for my arm again, but the girl stepped in front of it.

"We can follow you just fine, and don't try that excuse that you want to go fast; we both know you were going to walk." Felix looked angry, but seemed to know that she was not to be crossed. He sighed and started back out the doors. The girl followed him and I her.

Soon we were back in the room I was in before. I sat down with my back against the wall and she moved to the opposite wall. Felix had left us alone.

"Thank you." I said, gratitude saturating my voice. "You saved my life." A choked, tortured laugh left her throat and I was surprised at the bitterness it contained.

"I didn't save your life. I was the one who got you in this mess in the first place." That made no sense and I was too tired to pretend otherwise.

"What do you mean? I'm sure I've never met you before." I said, and she laughed that horrible laugh again.

"Are you sure Edward?" she asked, and I was surprised to hear the tenderness with which she spoke my name.

Then she pulled back her hood.

Brown waves tumbled down her back. Golden eyes stared out at me from behind long brown lashes. I wondered how I had missed it before as my hate flared to life.

"Isabella?" I spat. I couldn't believe that she was the one to get me into this. "I guess it makes sense. If anyone was going to get me into a position like this, it would be you." My voice was laced with bitterness. I was mad until I saw her face fall. It was devastated. Her shoulders hunched up and she flipped her hood back up. I watched in bewilderment.

"I know." She said, and the pain in her voice pinned me to the spot. "I'm sorry. You can't even begin to understand how sorry I am." The voice that she used here caught me off guard. It was not the hating, spiteful voice that I was used to her using. It was a voice as clear as wind chimes that sparkled in the air and rang with sincerity.

"Let me just ask you one question." She pleaded. I just nodded, deep in my own thoughts. "What reason have I ever given you to hate me?" she said.

For a second, I opened my mouth to answer, and then shut it again when I realized that I couldn't remember a time when she was really rude to me. Except once.

"There was the time when you went home with me and turned into a complete jerk." I said, remembering that she had yelled at me and then getting a headache and going to sleep early. Her eyes seemed to burn with a fierce determination as I said those words.

"Do you honestly remember that? Repeat one sentence that I said to you that day." She commanded. I searched back through my memory and found the strangest thing. I was looking through my memories and found that the entire encounter was remembered in words. I couldn't remember where it had happened. I couldn't remember all that was said. All my memory held was words.

_Isabella Cullen rode home with you. You had been working on a biology project. She turned into a jerk and left. You got a headache and went to bed early._

I looked up in shock and saw that Isabella had a knowing look in her eyes, which were still filled with pain.

"Now try and remember the week before that. It was your first week here. What was our project on? Why did you eat lunch with my family? Why do you hate me? Why do you avoid me at all costs?"

My head was spinning from the rapid questions. I was getting a headache again. It was a nagging in the back of my mind, as if I was trying to remember something, but I couldn't. Isabella stood up.

"I know the answer to all these questions. So do you. You know where you are. You know why you're here. You know all of these things. The question is now if you want to remember. Come to me if you decide you do. Just think about it first.'

She pulled her hood all the way up, hiding her eyes and pulling in her hair. She swept out of the room, and for the first time since I had known her, I looked at the way she was walking. She had a sort of limp that showed that she wasn't physically injured, she was hurting. Then she was out of my sight. Still, I heard her threatening voice ring out from around the corner. Apparently, someone had been listening in.

"If I come back and there is one scratch on him, I will personally hunt you down and kill you. You will not hurt him in any way and he will be fed, not starved." I shivered from the malice in her voice.

The voice of the man that had dragged me to Aro replied. "I don't think you're quite in the position to be making orders yet." He hissed.

"You have no power over what I can and can't do. I could kill you without moving a muscle. The only think keeping me here is him, and Aro knows this. What's he going to do to me? He can't touch me."

I heard a growl followed by a hiss and then I couldn't hear any more. I felt my headache increasing and vaguely wondered how long it had been since I last ate. Before I could even finish the thought, I fell into a deep sleep on the stone floor and didn't wake up for a long time.


	15. Chapter 15

EPOV

The first thing I was aware of was the feel of a soft pillow against my face. I knew I had fallen asleep on the floor, so this didn't match up. Becoming more aware of my surroundings, I could feel that I was on a bed. Slowly I sat up and looked around. My surroundings had definitely changed. I think I was at the top of a tower. There were high windows on all sides and I was lying in a bed that had to be worth at least a million dollars.

A second glance revealed a plate of eggs and toast sitting on my side table. I tore into them and was finished in a few seconds. I sat back on the table and looked around for something else to do. Apparently they didn't want their prisoners too comfortable, because there was nothing to do. I just sat on my bed and thought.

Mainly I thought about Isabella. She obviously knew something I didn't. Yet she was willing to share. Or at least, that was all I could get out of our conversation. It was all that made sense. But did I really want to know what was going on? They did say ignorance is bliss. And everything already seemed so terrifying. There were death threats every few minutes. Everything I thought I knew was falling to pieces about me. The girl who had just been my worst enemy and lab partner turned out to be something…else, and quite possibly my only ally.

But did I want to be trapped here with no real idea of the danger? I wasn't sure of the answer. I felt like Isabella almost wanted me to come to her and ask to remember, even though she had remained completely neutral throughout our talk.

I also wondered about how I was going to get out. I was obviously trapped here. There would be no escaping from my captors by myself. They were stronger than me. They were faster than me. Their hearing was than mine. I wouldn't make it 100 yards before they caught me. Unless I had help.

And that led me back to Isabella.

It seemed like whatever my captors were, she was one too. She also seemed pretty powerful judging from the threats she had made the other day. I would need her to be on my side if I was going to get out of here. But I wouldn't be able to even then if I didn't know what I was up against.

So I guess I would have to go to her. I would have to ask her to explain what was going on. She would know and then maybe we'd be able to get out of here. I walked over to the door to my room. Slowly, I pushed it open. There was a small girl standing outside with her hands on her hips. She was scowling at me.

"I'm under orders to not let you leave the room." She sang. She seemed to be very happy about something. Suddenly, all my thought processes stopped. All I could register was the fierce pain that was everywhere. I opened up my mouth to yell when the pain cut off. I heard a terrible growl that you felt more than you heard.

"Leave now Jane." The voice whipped through space and was like a slap in the face; and it wasn't even meant for me. I knew who it would be even before I looked up. There she was. If only she had been there a few seconds earlier.

"I'm so sorry you had to go through that. I should have been here the whole time." I looked into her eyes and saw her remorse. I felt the familiar hate flare to the surface, but now it felt foreign. I knew it was fake. She had never done anything wrong. There had to be some outside force influencing my feelings.

"It's not your fault." I said. My voice was neutral, but that was the best I could do even now that I knew I didn't need to hate her. "Please come in. I was just looking for you." I got up and felt her follow me into my prison.

"I apologize about your current housing. If I had my way, you'd be in a room like this with a full kitchen and library and a gaming system. Sadly, I can only get so far with threats." I looked at her. I should have known she was the one behind the improvement of my conditions. She seemed to actually care about me. I just didn't understand why she did. My nerves were too frayed for this. I needed answers.

"Why are you here?" I asked, whirling on her. I watched her face crumple much like it had during our conversation yesterday.

"I don't have to be. I can leave again if you want me to?" she replied. Once again, I felt myself frozen by the complete heartbreak in her voice. I finally realized what I had just said and how it would sound to someone who didn't know my complete thought process.

"No. I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that. It's just that I heard your argument with my guard last night. You said, and I quote 'the only thing keeping me here is him.' Why am I keeping you here? I always thought you hated me just as much as I hated you. Why even bother staying here if you hated it here?"

"I can't answer that if you haven't picked a certain choice. So first you answer my questions and then I'll answer all the ones you still need answered. Now, do you want to remember or not?"

I thought of my answer. I knew what I needed to say; I just didn't want to. It felt like as soon as I did, it would all make sense, but I really didn't want it to. But maybe Isabella knew why I always felt like there was something missing. Maybe she could explain why all my memories of the first week in Forks were just words. I had to say yes.

"Yes. I want to remember. I want to know what's going on." I said. I watched as her eyes seemed to light up. It changed her into a completely different person. Not a single memory of mine showed her smiling. I had just assumed she was a generally unhappy person. Now I could see that it had always been an act. She hadn't hated me. She had just been sad for a while.

Then her eyes captured mine.

BPOV

I was sitting on the corner of Edward's bed in his tower room. I couldn't decide whether or not I wanted him to say yes or no. If he remembered then I would have my Edward back. He could try to hide it all he wanted. I could still see that he hated me. But if he said yes, it would be a whole month of torture wasted. Worse, he would probably still hate me. At least right now I knew the only reason he hated me was because I made him. If he remembered, he would realize exactly how big of a mess I made. And he would hate me without my help.

But it wasn't my choice, as I was so kindly reminded when Edward opened his mouth.

"Yes. I want to remember. I want to know what's going on." I sighed. At least now he would have his free will back. I didn't want to see the terror in his eyes when he realized that he didn't remember something. I felt hope sneak into my eyes without my permission. Maybe he would still be my friend. I let my eyes become hypnotic.

Edward was trapped in seconds. I swore to myself that this would be the last time I would do this to him.

"You remember everything. You know what happened in your first week of school. You also know what I told you and you know what happened in the next month." I watched him collapse and guided him carefully into a comfortable position on the bed. I wanted to lay down next to him with every fiber of my being, but I sat in the chair next to his bed. I would not force him into anything.

I knew he wouldn't pass out for as long this time. Last time his mind had had to invent new memories. This time it just had to find the old ones buried in the back of his head.

EPOV

I woke up completely disoriented. I remembered asking Bella to help me remember something. But I had been calling her Isabella. Why? And then it all came back. I remembered hating her with all I had. I remembered the cruel words we had exchanged. The whole time her face had been folded in agony. But she had made me hate her. She had made me forget the best week of my entire life. She made me forget us.

I opened my eyes to find myself in a cell inside a castle_. I'm in Volterra_. I thought. Of course. Bella had told me all about this. I felt the comforting electric current and knew Bella was nearby even before I turned around and saw her there. How had I missed her beauty even when I despised her? She was an angel on Earth, and she had loved me enough to hurt herself to keep me safe.

I didn't allow words to ruin the moment. I stood up and pulled Bella into my arms. My face was buried in her hair, rememorizing her smell. I would occasionally kiss her. Her head. Her forehead. Her hair. At first she went stiff, but then she relaxed in my hold. I pulled her closer.

I don't know how long we stood there, holding on to each other; our only lifeline in the middle of the worst situation we could ever be in. But I didn't care. If this was all that would have convinced her to give me my memory back, I would do it all over again. Aro himself could come in right now and kill me. I wouldn't care. I was complete again.

BPOV

I heard his heart rate speed up and I knew he was coming to. Quickly, I straightened up and waited. Eventually he sat up, but he faced away from me. Slowly, slowly, he started to turn around. I braced myself for the hate I would see in his eyes.

It never came.

I was sitting in the chair when he stood up. I was sure he was just going to stalk out of the room; willing to face Jane just to get away from me. Then I was in his arms. He held me tightly, but not nearly tight enough. I felt him bury his nose in my hair and I was home. Nothing could or would separate me from my Edward again. I was aware of his lips pressing into my hair and I stiffened in surprise.

He still loved me. He wasn't just surprised by the overload of memories. He actually loved me.

I held on tighter.

We stood there for an immeasurable moment. I was in complete bliss. Aro could do anything to me now. I wouldn't care. Then my perfect moment was ruined. A small tap sounded on the window. I held on to Edward for a moment longer and then went to see who it was.

Another small pebble bounced off as I got closer. I floated up to reach the latch and opened the window. The wind combed through my hair as I stuck my head out and looked down.

"Hey Baby Bella! Long time no see!" Emmett hollered up. My whole family was standing at the foot of the tower. Emmett had a huge smile on and Alice was bouncing on her heels.

"Shh. If you're any louder, the whole castle will know you're here." My tone was disapproving, but my face showed it was different. I was smiling now. We could easily escape with my family on the outside to help.

"Honey, are you okay? Is Edward okay?" Esme called up, and I could hear how worried she was.

"We're fine. We're both fine." My smile was large enough to rival Emmett's and I knew that my family was happy to see my happy again.

"May we talk to Edward as well? Alice told us you gave him his memory back." Of course. Esme already considered Edward a part of the family. His being gone had worried her as much as my being gone had. I smiled at her, knowing the reasons behind all her questions.

"I'll ask him. You haven't met him yet have you?" I remembered that I had wanted to take Edward to meet my family officially, but the Mike incident had happened first. Edward had never met my mother, but I was sure he would love her immediately. Everyone did.

I floated back down to the ground. "My family's here. They can help us get out of here. First, though, would you like to meet my mother?" I watched him, wondering if this was too much for one day, but he seemed to be handling it fine. His mind hadn't gone on overload yet.

"Will you have to fly me down there?"

"Yes, but if you don't like that we could save meeting them until later." I remembered that he had seemed rather nauseous after the flight. I figured he wouldn't want to try it again.

"Are you kidding? I'll probably have to get used to it if you're going to let me be around you again anyway. Besides, I would love to meet you mother." I smiled at him and his heart sped up. I put my hand against his chest, feeling the pulse.

"I missed that so much." Then I swung him onto my back and jumped up and out the window. We floated down to my family and landed softly on the grass. Esme ran up and pulled me into a hug as soon as I set him down. I hugged her back.

Edward and Esme met and you could see that she approved of him. He was smiling and I took that as a good sign as well.

I looked around. We were surrounded by a huge wall. You couldn't even get out of the grounds unless you went through the only gate. Apparently Alice and the rest had requested an audience with Aro. It was the only way they could have gotten in themselves. It seemed impossible to get out myself. How was I going to get Edward out?

Suddenly, Alice piped up.

"Sorry to delay the whole 'meet the family' moment, but we really need a plan to get you guys out of here. Bella, you could get out of here any time you like, but we need a plan to get Edward out. Aro won't let him go easily."

"Why does Aro want me anyway?" Edward asked. I could tell he'd given much thought to this and still couldn't figure it out.

"Because you're powerful." Alice answered, depriving me of a chance. "You say that you're very good at reading people, but Aro thinks it goes deeper than that. He probably thinks that if he turned you into a vampire, you'd have a special power revolving around that."

Edward thought about this for a moment and then looked up at me.

"You knew didn't you? You knew that I had something special about me!" he looked angry.

"How did you come to that conclusion?" I was bewildered. Yes, I had guessed that he would have a powerful talent, but I had never said that out loud.

"That night when I asked you what you were thinking and you made fun of me for never having to ask that. I told you I never had before and you looked like you were thinking real hard about something, I was going to ask you about it when Alice called. But now I see that you realized that there was something different about me."

I think my mouth dropped open. I had always known he was observant, but this was more than even I could have imagined. My mind had a shield around it, and he could still read me that well. I wondered how well he would do with the rest of my family.

"Hello! People, we still need a plan." Alice said. We all turned to her. "Come on. This should be easy. Carlisle knows his way around the castle. We all know what Aro wants. Bella knows how to do just about anything. And we have a bunch of other powers to help us."

"Just one question." I said, making Alice frown. "It will help. Edward, I need to know if you still want to be changed. You mentioned it once, and I need to know if that offer still stands, because it might be the only way for all of us to get out of there alive. If you don't want to, we can make sacrifices, but I need to know."

I had been thinking about this for a while and had realized that not only would this help with our current predicament, but would be the best thing in the long term too.

His answer was immediate. "Yes." And that was the end of that. I smiled timidly at him and he smiled back. I could tell he really wanted this.

So we sat down and planned. At the end of it all, we followed the plot of a movie Alice had just seen and wrote out our instructions on cards to hide all over. I took Edward back up to his room, and then I erased everyone's memory of the last half an hour, putting a false memory in place. Including mine.


	16. Chapter 16

EPOV

I woke up the next morning with Bella sitting next to my bed. I remembered her being with me last night and us making up. I knew there was something I was forgetting, but I didn't really think about it. It was unimportant.

I got up and Bella left the room while I changed into a new pair of clothes that had been lain out on my bed. They didn't fit very well, but I wasn't complaining. It was all thanks to Bella that I was this pampered anyway. I had to keep reminding myself that I was, in fact, a hostage. I wasn't here on some strange vacation.

I let Bella back in and went to go brush my teeth in the bathroom. I picked up the toothbrush that the Volturi had oh so kindly provided. Underneath the plastic cellophane wrapper, there was a card. Across the front, it said EDWARD in handwriting that I recognized as my own.

I opened it up and saw a short piece of instructions written in the middle of the large page.

_Trust Bella and don't argue or comment. Just go with it._

I searched my memory and remembered writing that right before I went to bed. I wondered why I had bothered to write it. It was sort of redundant. I always trusted Bella. I guess I had just been trying to strengthen my resolve by writing it all down.

I bushed my teeth and headed back out into my room. Bella was waiting patiently on the corner of my bed. I smiled at her and she sat next to me, leaning into my arm. We sat like that for a while before there was a knock on the door. Without waiting for permission, the door opened to reveal Aro. I started to scowl, but Bella smoothed it away with her fingertip.

"Come on Edward. I'm sure our kind host needs proof that we aren't planning anything. Sadly, he can't read my mind, so he'll have to settle for yours." She stood up and grabbed my left hand, leaving my right hand open for shaking. It seemed like she was acting a little weird, but I figured it was just because she was angry at Aro for getting us in this mess.

Aro quirked an eyebrow but didn't comment. I stepped up and held out my hand and shook his. His eyes were closed for the slightest amount of time before he opened them and smiled at Bella, who was quite obviously irked. He turned to her and they began a discussion. Just before she let go of my hands, Bella reached over and held my hand with both of hers. Anyone else would have assumed that she was just giving encouragement, and I did too until I felt the sharp crispness of paper in my hand. Then she had let go and started talking earnestly with Aro. I still had the paper in my hands.

I looked around and saw that Aro was sufficiently distracted and had come alone. I opened up the paper and was happy to find that it didn't crinkle or make any other noise. It had my name on it and was made of the same paper as the last paper, but it was written in Bella's handwriting.

_Please just trust me. I know you'll doubt. Have faith._

That confused me for a few seconds until I listened in on their conversation.

"I have already given you a day. Your decision won't change no matter how long you think about it." Aro's voice was that of a father talking to a child, explaining the inevitable truths of life.

"I can't do it Aro. I won't condemn him to this life." The words alone sounded powerful. Bella's shoulders were shaking with sobs though. It seemed like she already knew how all this was going to end up, and was just giving it one last shot.

"Isabella, he is going to get changed at one point. If there was a way for you to escape, you already would have. Just get it over with and then you'll both be a part of the Volturi. It will all work out." He set his hand on her shoulder, and I expected her to flinch away. Instead, she sank against it and sobbed. I watched as she had a breakdown, knowing I couldn't help her.

"On one condition." She said, and I felt a little hope grow in me. I didn't want to be part of the guard, but it couldn't be that bad if I had Bella with me. Aro nodded and she continued. "I have to be the one to change him and you have to be there to make sure that I don't kill him."

Aro smiled kindly down at her and I once again had the impression of him as a patronizing father. "I'll give you a few minutes to explain everything to him." He walked out of the room as Bella sank onto the bed with her head in her hands. I went over to comfort her as I heard Aro's footsteps on the stairs fade away.

Her head jerked up.

"I'm so sorry Edward. I don't know what's going on." I started to open my mouth, but she put her finger over my lips. "Please just let me talk. I don't know when he'll come back and I need to tell you everything.

"I think I have a plan to get us out of here. I think we planned it out last night and then wrote it down on cards so we would discover it gradually." She threw down a few cards that were identical to mine. "Look."

All of them were in Bella's handwriting. In the corner of each card was a little note. They said things like: _open when Edward first leaves the room_ and _give to Edward after Aro touched his hand._ Those were the only two open. There were two others that said _open when Aro greets his guests_ and _open when it's all over._

I noticed that there was the corner of another note poking out of the corner of her pocket, but I didn't comment. Maybe it needed to remain hidden. Bella wouldn't hide anything from me that I really needed to know.

She held up the note that she had already opened and read.

Make sure Aro touches Edward's hand.

Give Edward his note.

Argue with Aro but eventually give in to having Edward changed _by you with him watching_.

Show Edward so he has hope too.

Make sure Aro doesn't touch Edward's hand again.

She had successfully done all the things but the last one. I wondered when the others would be opened. Just then, Bella stiffened and turned towards the door. I assumed that meant Aro was coming back.

"I love you." Bella whispered before starting to sob again. I knew she was faking, but gathered her in my lap anyway. I tried to look like I was comforting her when Aro opened the door. He smirked when he saw us, but quickly covered it up with a sad expression.

"Are you ready?" He asked. Bella just looked up and nodded miserably. I was amazed at her acting skills, but covered that up with some of my own. I tried to acted scared and confused, which was actually fairly easy considering that everything seemed to be hanging on everyone else-who ever they were-reading their cards on time and doing what they were told.

Bella struggled to her feet and took both my hands in hers, falling back against me so I had to take on most of her weight. I knew what she was doing now. She was making it extremely hard for Aro to make any contact with my skin. He started walking forward anyway and Bella looked up with world-weary eyes.

"Can't you just let us have this moment? There is no way we could have planned anything in that short amount of time. Just let us be. We'll follow you. There's no other option." Her voice was rough and cracked at all the right times. It was a flawless act. I saw Aro already giving in and wondered if Bella wasn't using her gift to just persuade him.

Eventually he turned and walked out of the room. I struggled to keep up while supporting a crying Bella. Luckily, she had tried to make herself as little a burden as possible once he turned around; walking along with me without letting her feet make any noise.

I looked around as much as I could; seeing as I had been asleep the last time through the castle. It was a strange place, with a terrifying and intimidating beauty that couldn't be described in words. We were walking down one of the main halls when another vampire showed up next to Aro.

"You have an old friend come to visit. He would like a word with you." Aro seemed to sigh and turned back to us, seemingly torn.

"Go ahead." Bella said, reluctantly. "It will give me a few more seconds to prepare Edward. Besides, this conversation will only last a few minutes I'm sure. Once I change Edward, you'll have to be by his side for three days. It only makes sense." Her voice had a slight note of suffering in it, but she made a good argument. Aro excused himself politely and went to greet his guests. The other guard followed. Apparently they didn't think there was any way we could escape from here.

As soon as he was out of view, Bella whipped out the next note. I remembered it said to open it when Aro goes to greet his guests. Apparently, this distraction had been planned.

_Just try to delay him as much as you can. We're coming. Make sure Edward is changed in the room you just left._

The inside of the card was written in someone else's handwriting. I didn't know who it was until I heard Bella talking to herself.

"Alice is here? Does that mean that the rest of them are here? How am I going to get Aro to let us change Edward in his room?"

Just then I heard the sound of footsteps on the hard stone floors. I heard Bella gasp and wondered if it was because she was scared or because she had come up with a solution. She leaned over to whisper something in my ear just before Aro came around the corner.

"Try to look like you just had a panic attack." She hissed. I tried to arrange my face into a terrified mask and was amazed to find that it was actually just a mask. I trusted Bella entirely. She would get me out of here. So when I looked terrified, it really was just an act.

Aro came in, and it was with Carlisle. Apparently, this had been planned too. I noticed that Carlisle had a note in his hand made of heavy cardstock. It had Bella's handwriting. I assumed it had been given to him after Aro shook his hand. He finished quickly and looked up in shock, but I didn't get to see anything else because Aro had started to go for my hand, and all I could think was that he couldn't touch my hand. Everything would fail if he did.

"Wait, Aro." Bella said. Anyone who didn't know her as well as me wouldn't be able to tell that she was panicking. Her voice was smooth and still had that defeated note in it. I tried to remember to keep up my act too. "While you were gone, Edward had a panic attack. He finally realized what was going on." I noticed her slowly walking over to me, and then taking my hand and stroking it as if it were just some reflex; natural. It definitely didn't look like she was trying to keep Aro from making contact with my skin, but I knew she was.

"I think it would help him calm down if we did this in a familiar place. I think it would also help me to not kill him if I was in a place where we talked. It will help me remember who he is." I watched in fascination as she played on every weakness Aro had while making it seem like she had no idea what she was doing. I knew Aro wouldn't be able to resist either. Her argument made so much sense.

"Very well. I have no problem with that. If you don't mind, I have asked your father to be with us while you change him to make sure all goes smoothly." He gestured to Carlisle and he nodded. Bella gave him a thankful look that might have been because she was grateful that he would be there, but was probably because he was following the plan.

"Well, lead the way." She said, gesturing for Aro to go ahead and then leaning back into me. She was stopping him from touching me again. She was doing an amazingly good job too.

Everything was going well but I couldn't help but be nervous. In all the movies, this was when everything fell apart. I had to keep reminding myself that this wasn't a movie. Everything could work out. It had to.

We made it back within a few minutes and Bella led me over to the bed and sat down in the chair next to me. I wondered if it would hurt to be changed if our plan failed. But that was the problem. I wanted to get out of here alive, but I also wanted to be changed. I wanted to spend the rest of my life with Bella. I wished there were a way to have me changed and still have the plan changed.

I was sitting there and wondering when Bella seemed to think of something.

"I think it would be easier to not kill him if I wasn't thirsty, but I haven't eaten in days." She said, and my mind flashed back to the card. It had said to stall now.

"Of course." Aro stood up and walked towards the door. A thought had seemed to occur to him. "I hope you don't take offence, my dear Isabella, but I can't leave you alone with your father figure. You might find a way to escape." He opened the door and called for Felix and then came to sit with us.

We sat in silence until Felix came back with a bottle of blood. It was one of those huge thermoses that were too small to be coolers, but were too big to be a conveniently-sized water bottle. Apparently, it was perfect for carrying blood.

Bella took it and sat it on her lap, taking occasional sips. Aro commented on keeping it cold so that she wouldn't go into frenzy. Bella nodded her thanks. Her face made it seem like she was deliberately going slow so she could steel herself for the task ahead. I knew she was still just stalling.

But stalling can only last so long. I could hear the wet slosh of blood as she lowered it from her mouth again. It was almost empty. Whatever was going to happen had better happen soon, or we would have to follow Aro's plan. Just as I had that thought, everything fell apart, just like I had thought it would.

Bella had just lifted the bottle for another drink when Aro reached out and brushed his fingers across the back of my hand. For a fraction of a second, I had no idea what was going on. Then I remembered Aro's power. His eyes glazed over. Bella lowered the bottle and looked around for my eyes. Then she too saw his hand. His eyes cleared.

In an eighth of a second, he was on his feet with Bella held against the wall by her throat. His ferocious growl was echoed by Bella and Carlisle. Bella reached out to shove him off her. He flew back across the room. Springing back up to his feet, he flipped up into the air, landing lightly on Bella's back. His teeth were at her neck.

Then the windows exploded.

**A/N: I'm starting a new story now. I'll post it after I finish posting this one. Since I hate cliffies too and feel your pain, I'll post another chapter now.**


	17. Chapter 17

APOV

I found myself standing in the middle of a random patch of grass on the grounds with no memory of getting there. I felt myself start to panic. Looking around, I saw the rest of my family. The panic faded slightly. Leaning back into Jasper's chest, I shoved my hands into my pockets. A piece of paper poked my hand and I looked down at it. The corner that I could see had Bella's handwriting on it.

_ Get away from the rest of the family soon and then open this._

I shoved it back in my pocket before anyone else could see and turned around. Now I had a slight idea of what was going on. Bella must have wiped our memories. I didn't know why she had, but I had a feeling that the note would explain it all. The panic was gone now that I had a logical explanation for everything that was going on.

"Come on. Let's finish our walk and then go back to our rooms." I said. Now I had memories coming back to me. They told me that I had gone for a walk with the rest of my family. I knew that everyone else would believe them, but I had already figured out what had really happened. I looked closer at the memories. Sure enough, they were just words. I had no details as to which direction we had come from or where we had already gone.

But the rest of my family just had the memories, and their brains already accepted them as fact because they didn't know that the memories were fakes. We headed back to our rooms and I excused myself to go take a shower.

I hurried through the shower and then went into my closet where I knew no one would bother me. They knew that if they crossed me while I was surrounded by clothes, they were sure to get a makeover.

I ripped open the card and felt a long set of instructions and two more envelopes.

_Tell your family that you will meet with Aro at 10:15 DON'T BE LATE_

_Don't tell anyone about this_

_Make sure Aro doesn't shake your hand_

_Give Esme the envelope for Carlisle after Aro has shaken her hand and tell her to give it to him after he's shaken Carlisle's hand. DO NOT let Aro see it._

_Let Carlisle go with Aro_

_Take the rest of the family around to my window_

_Come in as soon as you can. Don't worry about sneaking._

I looked at the other two envelopes. One had Carlisle's name scrawled across the front along with instructions to not open it until Aro wouldn't see. The other had my name on it and it said to open it before we came through the window.

I quickly picked out a change of clothes that would look good, but that could be worn for jumping through windows. I hid the cards in my pocket and walked out to the rest of my family.

"I have had a vision." I announced. "We are going to meet with Aro at 10:15. There are no arguments allowed. This is set in stone." No one was looking at my oddly, so I figured I was doing a fairly good job of acting like myself. In truth, I was scared. Bella was in greater danger than I had thought. We wouldn't need this card system if she wasn't.

"Don't worry. I'm sure Bella's fine." Jasper said; coming up to wrap his arms around me. For a second I wondered if he had read my mind, before remembering that he had been feeling all my emotions. Of course he would figure I was worrying about Bella. There was nothing else to worry about. I sent a wave of love at him.

I wished I could tell him about the letter; about what was really going on. Instead, I reminded myself that the card had told me to not tell anyone and focused on the moment.

It was ten o'clock and was panicking slightly. The card had said that I couldn't be late, but no one else seemed concerned about the fact that we were running late.

"Come on." I called. "I'm walking out this door now. If no one comes with me, I guess I'll just go talk to Aro myself." I knew I couldn't do that. Then Aro would be able to touch my hand and I wouldn't be able to refuse him, but I also knew that my family wouldn't let me go by myself. They would come with me.

Sure enough, within seconds I had Carlisle, Esme, Jasper, and Emmett next to me. Soon Rosalie was there too and we set out to go visit Aro.

The corridors in the castle-we were staying there for a day, having arrived the day before-were long and confusing. Carlisle led us down the right ones, though, and soon we were in the reception room. Jasper sat down to wait while Carlisle went up and talked to the receptionist, telling her that we had to talk to Aro.

"I will send someone to tell him you're here, but he might not come. He is rather busy at the moment." She replied as she called a vampire to her side. We all sat down to wait.

Soon, Aro was there. He walked forward to greet us; first shaking Esme's hand and then turning to Carlisle for a short talk. I ran up and pressed the paper into Esme's hand.

"Give it to Carlisle before he leaves, but after Aro shakes his hand." I whispered in her ear, making sure Aro was sufficiently distracted before doing it.

She looked at me with confused eyes but nodded and walked up to stand beside Carlisle. Luckily, Aro didn't try to shake any of our hands. I guess he just assumed that if we were planning anything, our leader or his mate would know. Eventually, he shook Carlisle's hand and then asked him to come with him. Carlisle looked at the rest of us. I tried to scan his future, but apparently no decisions had been made, so I could see nothing. Still, I nodded when his eyes landed on me. The letter had said to let him go.

Just as he turned, Esme reached up and planted a kiss on his cheek. I watched her press the paper into his hand. Then she stepped back and Carlisle followed Aro back into the hall.

I knew we had to get out of there as soon as possible, but I had to make sure that no one was suspicious, and Esme had struck up a conversation with the receptionist. I sighed in frustration. How was I going to make this work? Thankfully, Esme didn't talk long, so I didn't have to intervene. She started towards the door where we came, but I stopped her.

"Hey Esme, can we go for a walk while we wait for Carlisle? The grounds are just so beautiful." I added the last part to fool the receptionist. Esme looked at me oddly, but agreed to come. We walked out the doors and out onto the grounds.

I started running.

The rest of the family followed, though I could feel their confused stares burning a hole in my back. I ignored them until we got to the ground outside Bella's window. The rest of them stopped too and started in on the questions, but I held up a hand for silence. I reached into my pocket and pulled out the next letter.

_ Read this out loud_

I looked around at my family and started to read the letter to them.

_I don't really have time to tell you all what's going on, so you're going to have to trust me. _

The letter was in Bella's handwriting and I knew my family could see that too. That was the only thing that was keeping them quiet.

_Right now, I am in the room above you. Edward is with me, and so are Carlisle and Aro. We're in danger. Aro wants me to change Edward and right now, he's under the impression that I'm going to do it._

_ But then we'll have to join the Volturi._

_ That's where you guys come in. In a second, you all get to burst through the window and save us. Except you can't save me. I want you to grab Edward and run. It doesn't matter how bad a position I'm in. DON'T take me with you. Take Edward and get Carlisle to follow you all. I'll catch up._

_ Don't worry. This will work out. You all helped me plan it, you just don't remember. So there it is. Now, you all need to go burst through the windows and save the day. I might not be able to stop this for long._

My family looked at me in surprise.

"I found this in my pocket when we were on our walk. I think we met with Bella and she swiped our memories. But that really doesn't matter right now. You need to listen to Bella. If she says to leave her, we have to. Just follow the plan. It's what I've been doing all day."

We scaled the wall up to the room that everyone else was in.

Then we jumped through the windows.

CPOV

I stood next to my wife making small talk with Aro. I wondered how long this was going to go on like this. The receptionist had said that he was busy, so I doubted he'd spend much time with us. Eventually he stopped talking and reached out to shake my hand. I knew there was nothing illegal in my head, so I allowed it.

He let my hand go and asked if I would like to come with him. I knew I had no choice but to go, but I looked at my family anyway. Alice said it would be okay, so I followed him. Just as I turned to leave, Esme ran up and pressed a paper into my hands, kissing me on the cheek as she did. I looked at her in confusion, but she just cut her eyes to Alice and shrugged. She didn't get it either.

I looked down at the note in my hand. It was written in Bella's handwriting. It had my name scrawled across it and in the corner it said not to open it until Aro couldn't see. I looked to see if he was watching me, but he wasn't. It was safe enough. I opened the card and it was silent. I thanked Bella in my head for getting a silent card. Then, I started reading.

_ Okay, here's the plan._

_ Right now Aro thinks I am going to change Edward. I am going to convince him that I need to change Edward in the room we just came from. We are going to go up there and I am going to stall._

_ Eventually, the rest of the family will come bursting through the windows. They are going to take Edward and run. You are going to go with them. I am going to stay behind. You are NOT allowed to try to stop me. Don't worry. We already planned this out. I'll meet up with you guys later._

_ Just protect Edward, please. He's my everything. Don't let him get hurt. I will be able to see him again. Tell him that. In fact, let him read this card after you've all gone. _

_ It may take me a little while to catch up. Don't come after me. Just remember that Aro would never kill me. His need for power clouds his judgment. I'll be fine._

_ Even if I die, at least I had a longer and happier life than many could ever dream of. I found true love and lived for over a hundred years. If I die, it was my time, and my only regret would be the little amount of time I got with Edward, yet even the time I had was more than I ever hoped for._

_ I love you all. Please remind the family of this._

_ I hope to see you all soon._

_ Bella._

Just as I finished, we walked into the hall where Bella and Edward were waiting. I looked up in shock. She was actually going to go through with this? I didn't even have to ask. The grim set of her jaw told me everything I needed to know. She would do anything for Edward.

Just then I noticed that Aro was reaching for Edward's hand. He looked at it in shock, and I could see just from that that he knew all about the plan. If Aro touched his hand, he would figure everything out.

"Wait, Aro." Bella called. I was amazed at how smooth her voice was. I could just barely hear the panic behind it all. "While you were gone, Edward had a panic attack. He finally realized what was going on." She continued. As she talked, she walked forward and took Edward's hand; stroking it lovingly. It looked so natural, but I knew she was just trying to stop Aro from touching his hand.

"I think it would help him calm down if we did this in a familiar place. I think it would also help me to not kill him if I was in a place where we talked. It will help me remember who he is." I tried to remember if I had ever talked to her about Aro's weaknesses. She seemed to know every single one and exactly what to say to get him to agree with her. He would allow this with little suspicion.

"Very well. I have no problem with that. If you don't mind, I have asked your father to be with us while you change him to make sure all goes smoothly." Bella shot me a thankful look that I knew was more about following the plan than coming to help her. If all went well, she wouldn't need any helping, and I had to believe that everything would go well.

"Well, lead the way." She said, gesturing for Aro to go ahead. She leaned back into Edward with a motion I had seen performed by every couple I had ever met. It looked just like something a worried mate would do when she was scared. We all naturally looked to our mates when nervous about anything. No one else would see that she was just trying to keep Aro from touching Edward. It was going perfectly.

Soon we were back in a room that I had never seen before. Edward went to sit on the bed and Bella sat down next to him on the chair. Edward seemed to be thinking very hard about something and so did Bella. Eventually, Bella seemed to think of something. She sat up a little straighter and looked to Aro.

"I think it would be easier to not kill him if I wasn't thirsty, but I haven't eaten in days." She said. Of course, she was completely right. Being full did make it easier, but I knew she was just stalling now. The card had said she would.

"Of course." Aro stood up and started to the door, but then stopped. "I hope you don't take offence, my dear Isabella, but I can't leave you alone with your father figure. You might find a way to escape." Then he called for Felix to go get some animal blood for Bella.

He soon returned with one of the bottles I remembered the Volturi using from when I lived here. Bella sat with it and took slow sips while still looking natural. She seemed to be preparing herself for something, but I doubted that she was preparing herself for the same thing Aro thought she was. I would be scared to stay behind too. The worst part was that she couldn't look to Edward for comfort. I could tell from his face that he didn't know the last part of the plan; the part that included leaving Bella.

That was about the time I noticed Aro's hand slowly reaching out for Edward's. His eyes glazed over just as Bella looked up. Then she was pinned against the wall. A furious growl tore out of me without my permission, but I hardly noticed.

This wasn't supposed to happen yet. Where was the rest of the family? I watched as Bella shoved Aro back. He flew across the room. Soon he was back up, though, and flinging himself at Bella. I had to remind myself that she had trained with Jasper for years. She would be able to defend herself. Then I saw that his teeth were at her neck.

I leaped up to help her when the glass in all the windows shattered and my family came pouring in. Esme and Alice went and picked up Edward who didn't seem to notice. His eyes were pinned on the scene in front of him.

I wanted to leap up and grab Aro and save Bella, but I remembered her card. She wouldn't have arranged this if there was any other way. I couldn't help her. So I followed Jasper and Emmett back out the window. Alice jumped out after me, carrying Edward, who was now protesting adamantly.

We landed lightly on the grass and started running. Emmett took Edward from Alice now that he was making himself so difficult to carry. I turned around and saw smoke coming out of the windows. Bella must have started a fire. **(A/N: remember her power?)** I noticed that guards were coming from every direction to help. Apparently, Aro had made Bella a 'high priority'. She was so dangerous that everyone had to come to fight her.

Which was why the front gate was completely deserted.

Of course. That was why we had to leave her behind. If we didn't, there would still be guards at the gate. We would have been killed here. Now we were all free to go. So we ran out into the street, Emmett cursing Bella all the way. He finally got why we had to leave her. He had always called her a martyr, but never thought that this would ever happen.

Esme ran next to him while Rose went to steal a car. We were going back to Forks to wait.

**A/N: There. I know, I'm awesome. No need to thank me. (Except maybe a review…please?)**


	18. Chapter 18

BPOV

I looked up to see Aro's hand on Edward's and knew what was coming before he even moved. I allowed myself to be pinned against the wall. I shoved back so Aro wouldn't catch on to the last part of the plan. It was the part that Edward didn't know about yet. I had stuffed to card into my pocket the second I finished reading it. I knew Edward wouldn't go along with this if he knew that I would be left behind.

I watched Aro leap up and flip up onto my back. I knew there was nothing I would be able to do. I just had to pray that Aro would want me as part of the guard badly enough to let me live.

Finally, the windows broke open. Late much? Alice and Esme grabbed Edward and waited by the window while Emmett and Jasper got Carlisle. They jumped out the window together.

The last thing I saw was a look of horror-struck realization on Edward's face. I spun in Aro's grasp. His hands had loosened and I took that to my advantage. I flipped him over my head and threw him back into a wall. Then I made a ring of fire to surround me. I threw water in it so it would smoke a lot. My goal was to attract everyone in the castle.

Wind whipped the fire into daggers that shot high into the air and touched the roof, though they didn't burn it. I felt my feet lift off the ground. The windows that weren't broken before exploded. Slight tremors rocked the floor. The air around me vibrated, emitting a high frequency shriek that pierced my ears. Now that my family had surely escaped, I was just trying to make Aro realize what a necessity I was.

Everyone in the guard was looking at me in awe, standing outside my ring of fire. I saw the look of concentration on Aro's face and knew he was trying to find a way to get me to join his guard. I decided to provide a way for him. It wasn't the exact plan, but I needed to get out of this.

I pretended to be tired. Panting, I looked around the room, seeming to take everything in finally. Then I made a sword of fire come up in front of me. I yelled out so all could hear. "If my fire falls, you will all kill me. I have at least a little honor left." I allowed the sword to drift dangerously close to my neck and knew that if I wanted to, I could kill myself right then and there. Aro knew it too.

"It would be a waste to let you die, dear Isabella. I promise that no one down here will hurt you if you don't hurt them." I allowed a look of relief to wash over my face, and then let myself fall to the ground and drop the barriers. I lay on the floor, pretending to be too weak to get up.

"Someone take her to a different room and bring her a drink." He commanded. Felix reached out and picked me up, running in a new direction. I felt myself laid down on a couch and heard Felix leave. A second later a bottle of blood was set next to me and the door was locked. I sat up slowly in case someone was watching and then sniffed at the blood. Aro had remembered to make it animal blood. I took a large sip and sat upright.

Soon there was a knock on the door and I turned to answer it. Aro came in, alone. Apparently, he thought I was still too weak to hurt him. I sat back down in an attempt to reinforce his thoughts. He smiled kindly at me and sat across from me.

"My dear Isabella, that was quite an impressive display back there. You are amazingly skilled. However, our law requires that because of your rebellion, you must die. I would, however, be willing to make an exception with you. You could join the guard. We would welcome you among our ranks. If not, you will be required to stay here as a prisoner."

I knew what he was trying to do. He was hoping that I would agree, but if I didn't, he was hoping that staying in captivity would eventually change my mind. He would have to wait a long time.

"I'm afraid I'll have to be a prisoner then. I am sorry Aro, but I refuse to join your ranks, even if I would be welcomed." I smiled softly and watched in satisfaction as he flinched.

"If that is indeed your choice, I will have to go now. Felix will be up shortly and will be the first of your guards." He stood up and walked out of the room. I wondered how long I would be trapped here before it would be safe to escape.

I wanted to get back to my Edward

EPOV

We were back at the Cullens house. They had explained everything to me. They told me that Bella would come back when it was safe, but I wondered just how long that would take.

We decided that I would stay at the Cullens house and remain human for now. The entire town already thought Bella and I were dead. We had been gone longer than I thought. Two months had already gone by. It seemed like time had no effect on the Volturi castle. It was like its clocks ran slower than the rest of the worlds.

I was to remain inside at all times. Bella had said in her last note that Esme found shoved in her bag that I was to be changed if she never came back and I still wanted it. I doubted I would. If she wasn't there, I didn't want eternity.

So we waited.

Months passed. No one wanted to admit that Bella was probably dead. We were all just waiting for some proof, but you could feel the gloom and acceptance that permeated the house's atmosphere. No one really talked or did anything. They had gone back to school for a time, but now it was out for the summer. Usually, Rose and Emmett would go on a honeymoon now while the town thought they were at college. They stayed home now.

The depression had a strange effect on Alice and she no longer had any visions. Jasper spent most of his time just trying to keep everyone from toppling over the edge. Bella had been a central part of this family, and now that she was gone, it was hard for everyone. Without Jasper, I had no doubt that at least one of us would have turned suicidal. The only thing keeping me from suicide now was the desperate hope that she would come back.

I spent most of my days sitting looking out a window. I was straining my eyes to see anything that resembled Bella in any way. Maybe she would be flying out over the woods, smiling at us all. Maybe she would arrive after running through the forest with her hair flying back, the sun reflecting off her skin, throwing a rainbow in every direction.

Soon I was watching for anything. Maybe she would come stumbling through the trees, her arm clutched at her side with an army of vampires chasing her. Maybe she would stride up in her black Volturi robe, now a part of the guard just coming to say goodbye.

Eventually I stopped looking for her at all and just stared out the window all day, seeing nothing. At times, one of the others would join me and talk to me. They would tell me everything I ever wanted to know about vampires and Bella while I remained silent.

We reached the year mark. Everyone knew Bella was dead now. Still, no one mentioned my change. I was restless and exhausted at the same time. I spent all my time outside running laps around the house. I had to stay in hearing range so that they could come and find me if someone came to the house and hide me before they got here. I hadn't left the house grounds in a year.

I was eighteen now. I was thinner than before too. I never really ate anything and I worked off everything I did. My days were filled with boredom and monotony.

Bella was gone from my world. The Volturi had killed her or she had joined their ranks. Either way, I would never see her again.

These were dark days.

BPOV

The months dragged on. It seemed like the room were I was imprisoned was getting smaller and smaller. Every month a bottle of blood was brought to me, and that was the only thing I could use to tell the date. I worried constantly about my family and Edward. They would think me dead by now. I wondered if they had changed Edward yet. He had wanted it, but I liked to convince myself that was because of me. I wondered if they still live in Forks.

Mainly, I planned my escape. I had been in here long enough. The guard was getting lazy and Aro had all but forgotten me for the moment. I knew I had to act before something brought me back to his attention.

So I watched.

Every week at even intervals (I had spent a whole month counting seconds to tell the time) a new guard would come to relieve the old one. My first guard was always Marcus. I thought that maybe he pitied me, knowing what it was like to lose your mate. I also knew that Aro would never kill him as he was too valuable. While he definitely wouldn't help me escape, I doubted he would stop me either.

Today was the day that I would put my plan into action. My bottle for the month had just been rolled under my door and I gulped it down for strength rather than saving it like I normally did. Sitting down, I strained my ears for any sound of movement. I had practically memorized this castle by sound alone as my room had no windows.

I heard the telltale sound of footsteps in the hallway and recognized them as Marcus's. Felix left his post and ghosted down the hall and away from my room. Slowly, I lifted up my hand to knock on the wooden door to my prison cell. Marcus opened it warily and stuck his head in. His voice was rough when he talked, yet bored, as always.

"What do you want?" his eyes were wary. I knew that this was the main risky part of the operation. I needed him to trust me though, and I needed it bad, so I had to throw caution to the wind.

"I'm going to escape Marcus." His hand started to reach out on its own accord, probably to grab me. I caught it and put it back at his side. "Not immediately. But you must know how it is. I know about what happened to your mate and I'm very sorry, but would you ever force that sort of pain on someone else? Here I am, forced to stay in this room while my _human_ mate is somewhere else, probably thinking I'm dead.

"And I don't even get eternity with him. He's human. Every second I'm stuck here, I'm wasting a precious second of his life that I could be with him. I'm never going to join the guard, not while he's in the world. Please, I'm not asking you to help me escape. I'm just asking you to let me go."

I looked at him with pleading eyes. The fact that he hadn't stopped me yet was a good sign, but he could just be thinking of the best way to catch me.

"I will let you pass, but expect no more than that. You are on your own." He finally said in a slow, thoughtful voice. "It seems that even when you don't use your persuasion power, you are a bewitching child." I smiled grimly at him and thanked him. Then, I took off down the hall way without looking back.

I had put my time in the cell to good use and could navigate the halls fairly well from hearing person after person walk down them. I set out as fast as I could and wove through the maze. Left, right, right, straight, left, left, left, straight, door, left, and right. I found myself outside of the giant entry door to the throne room. I knew my way out from here.

The entry lobby was empty and for that I was thankful. I would have no trouble flying over the outside fence when it came to that. The only reason I hadn't before was because I wasn't able to fly my family over too. I had to distract the guards at the gate.

Jamming furiously at the button, I waited for the lethargic elevator to climb up the steep shaft. This would take me to the sewer entrance and an inconspicuous way out of the city. Just as the elevator door opened, I heard a creak behind me. Listening closer, I heard the sound of many feet running down the halls in my direction.

Someone had noticed my absence.

Either that or Marcus had betrayed me, but I didn't have time to worry about that. I jumped in the elevator and started pushing the button for the lowest floor before realizing that it would give them an easy way to catch me. They would just wait for me where it stopped or cut off the elevator's power. Well, they already knew I was here.

I leapt back out of the elevator and jumped right through a window. Twisting in the air, I saw at least twenty vampires jumping out after me. I flew a little bit to speed up the fall to the ground and then caught myself at the last second to prevent a large hole in the ground and to make it easier to begin running immediately.

I shot off towards the wall, but knew that no matter where I landed, there would be a vampire waiting. I also acknowledged another problem. If I just took off and flew across the ocean and back to my family, Aro would never stop looking for me. We would have to be on the move at all times to stay away from Demetri. No, I had to convince Aro that I was dead.

Another plan formed in my head, and, while I hated it, I was desperate. I landed softly on my feet outside the wall. Instantly, there was a pair of arms around my waist. More vampires surrounded me and my captor on either side. I expected that. What I didn't expect was the voice that breathed in my ear.

"What do you think you're doing?" He hissed.

"Marcus?"

**A/N: So there's the next chapter. Hope you liked it. Please review. More reviews equal sooner update!**


	19. Chapter 19

EPOV

We knew she wasn't coming back, and that thought haunted me at all times. I had never known what real pain was until I realized that I would never see her again, and that she had given her life for me.

Today, the whole family was going on a hunt. Today marked the day that she had been gone for exactly a year. I was expected to remain in the house while they were gone incase someone came for a visit, even though no one did anymore. I was feeling more restless than normal though, so I walked out the door as soon as the Cullens would be out of hearing range. Alice wouldn't be able to see me, so I was safe.

I set off at a run and was surprised by how fast I had become in the past year. I supposed I shouldn't be, considering the fact that it was all I did anymore. I reached the main road in a few minutes and wasn't even winded. The cars raced by, and I stayed in the shadow of the trees where no one could see me. I had taken to wearing black clothes, so I was practically invisible. For a while, I just sat there and drank in the pleasure that came from being outside the house grounds after so long.

I woke up to a twig snapping behind me. For a second I was disoriented. I had slept at the same spot on the window sill for the past year, and it took me longer than normal to realize where I was. As soon as I did, I twisted around to see what had caused the sound, and then gave a shout of surprise.

There was a bear there, _again_. How was that even possible? Was I simply the most unlucky person to ever live? Most people never even saw a bear outside of the zoo in their whole life. This was going to be my second bear attack, and this time, she wouldn't be able to save me.

But I needed to stay alive, for _her_; in case she came back.

And that's when it finally started to sink in. She never was coming back. Bella was dead. The Volturi had killed her, and I knew in this moment that it was true. Bella would never join them. She gave up her life to save me, but in the card she only said that she would either die or come back. Bella was dead, and it was my fault. If I had never let her see how much I loved her, maybe then she wouldn't have given up her life for me.

I also realized that I had nothing left to live for. Bella was dead, and while I might have stayed alive for my parents and friends, they didn't even know I was alive. They all thought I had died a year ago. The Cullens liked me, but I would never be a part of them without Bella, even if I was changed.

So I looked into the eyes of the bear and I accepted my fate, just as it started to run at me.

BPOV

I looked up, shocked. While I knew he might have sounded the alarm, I never thought he would be the one to catch me. I looked around at the circle of vampires and knew my plan wouldn't work like this. It had relied on one person catching me. Defeated, I slumped back against Marcus's chest.

"Go tell Aro that I have found her and I'm coming, all of you." Marcus commanded, and watched as they ran off. He set off at a slower pace. Before I could say anything, he started talking again. "I haven't had a vampire touch my heart as you have since my mate died. How you did it, I will never know, but as soon as you left, I knew I couldn't just leave you to do this on your own."

I glanced up, too surprised to speak.

"You should have known that Aro would hunt you down. Were you just going to live as a fugitive all your life?" I had an answer for that, but it took a while to remember it.

"I had a plan. I was hoping only one person would catch me. Then I was going to convince them that I fought back so much that they were forced to kill me. Then I was going to send them back to Aro and run." Marcus looked at me with respect.

"It was a well thought out plan. I'm sorry it won't work. Unless…" here he trailed off for a second, thinking. Then his mouth hardened and I knew he had come to a decision. "You could use your plan on me. I would let you have my robe so you could escape without anyone thinking twice. People got used to the cloaks. No one would remember you."

Now it was my turn to look at him in respect. "Are you sure you want to do that? It would mean I would erase your memories. Although…perhaps I could find a way to give you fake memories and let you keep the real ones, while only allowing Aro to see the fake ones. Hmm…" I trailed off for a second. I thought I would be able to do it, but it was risky.

"It will be worth the risk." Marcus said, as if reading my mind. He took off his cloak and placed it around my shoulders. Then he stood in front of me, looking awkward. "What do I need to do?"

"Stand just like that." I told him. Then I looked deep into his eyes. "This may feel a little odd. I've never tried to do this before." Then I turned my eyes up to full hypnotic power and watched as all emotion left his face. I concentrated on the memories I wanted to leave in tact. I pictured myself pushing aside the other memories to add new ones without messing up the others. Then I tried to do something I'd never tried before. I focused on taking a little piece of the shield that protected my mind and wrapping it around his recent memories. Then I added the new ones. "You and Bella were headed back when she started to fight. You had to defend yourself and did your best not to hurt her, but were eventually forced to kill her. You barely made it out with your life, for she burned your robe."

I gasped. That had been the hardest thing I had ever tried. Marcus looked at me. "Is it done?" he questioned. I nodded.

"This conversation will be covered up too. Thank you so much. I know how much you risked so you could help me, and I am eternally grateful. You have proved yourself a true friend, and I can only hope that in time I will be able to return the favor. Goodbye, Marcus Volturi, and fare well."

"Goodbye Bella Cullen." He saw my smile at the use of my nickname and smiled back. "You have already proved a friend by pulling me out of my numbness, but perhaps we will meet again, and if so, I hope we will be able to remain friends." We shook hands and then hugged. I pulled away and brought the hood of the cloak up over my face. Nodding once in Marcus's direction, I turned and started in the direction out of the city.

No one turned his or her head as I walked by and I was soon out of the city. I waited until there was no chance of anyone seeing me and then flew up in to the air.

For a few hours it was just the wind and I. I was flying as fast as I could, so it was still the same day when I reached America. I landed in the first forest I saw so I could hunt and then keep going like this. I wanted to be home as soon as possible. After a deer or two, I lifted back off and started flying. I had seen a few maps in Carlisle's study and they were forever memorized. It helped when I wanted to fly cross-country.

The wind was good-yes; I had everything to do with that-and I watched the sun rise from a perch over Wyoming. I wondered if Edward was watching the same sunrise as I was. Just then, a hiker walked directly under the tree I was in. He had a newspaper under one arm and I gasped when I saw the date. It was exactly one year from the last time I saw Edward. It had seemed like so much less, yet eons more. My family certainly thought me dead now. There was hardly any point to going back. Still, I had to go, just in case.

I flew even faster then, but was slowed when I reached the mountains. By the time I finally saw a familiar meadow it was afternoon. I zipped along to find our house and stopped when I got there. It was empty.

I felt the sadness like a rock in my stomach. Of course they were gone by now. It had been a year, and they would want to move away from any place that may cause unwanted memories to surface.

I almost turned and flew away then, but wanted one look around to see if I could get an idea of where they went.

The grass was springy with rain beneath my feet and stopped my fall well. I sat down to think, and then caught the scent. My family's scent was all over the grounds. They had been here earlier in the day. In fact, I could even smell Edward's scent mixed in. It was especially heavy around the woods. He was still human, and for some reason, that made me happy. It meant that maybe my family hadn't given up entirely. They were probably just on a hunt. But then where was Edward, for surely he wasn't with them?

I caught his scent trail almost immediately. Even after not smelling him for a year, I could still recognize his scent among thousands. It led back into the woods in the general direction of the main road. I took off at a human jog, prolonging the moment when I would see him again. Would he be mad at me for taking so long? Had he stopped loving me in my long absence? Had he…had he moved on?

I was terrified to see him again, yet it was what I wanted more than anything else in the world. It didn't matter if he didn't love me anymore. I would still love him more than life itself, and if we could just be friends-well, it wouldn't be enough; but-I would be able to make that work.

All thoughts were erased from my head as I heard a shout in the distance. I would recognize that voice after any amount of absence. It sounded slightly different than it used to, but it was still him.

I took off faster than I had ever run before. It didn't matter what was scaring him. I would make it stop. Within seconds, I had reached him. Looking at the scene before me, I couldn't help but feel a large amount of déjà vu mixed with the horror. Edward was standing on the side of the road, and there was a bear in front of him. That in its self would have scared me, but what was even more terrifying was that Edward wasn't trying to run or fight back, though both would be futile, no; he was just standing there, as if he had accepted this fate.

I couldn't let that happen. It didn't matter if Edward didn't feel like he needed to live anymore. I needed him to go on living, and after all that trouble I just went through, I wasn't going to come home just to see him murdered right before my eyes.

I jumped in front of him just as the bear was about to collide. Behind the bear, the forest was alive with plants embodying my fury. Vines whipped out and lashed across the bear's back, twisting themselves in his legs. They dragged him back into the forest and tied him to the ground. One giant vine came down and wrapped around the bear's neck, choking it. Soon the bear lay on the ground before me, dead as can be. I felt a sick sort of satisfaction, as if this bear had represented everything that had ever come between Edward and me.

I stood with my back to Edward. All the terror that had kept me walking slowly on my way here now came back in full force. Would he even recognize me? Looking down at myself, I realized that I was covered head to toe in dirt, debris, and twigs. I still had Marcus's robe on, but it didn't cover my head. Mud was smeared across my face, covering my expression. My clothes-the same ones I had been wearing since I last saw Edward-were ripped in many places. Still, if the role had been reversed and Edward was covered like this, I would have known it was him.

The silence went on. I waited for him to break it, but it seemed like this would go on for days if it kept up like this. Just when I was considering running away and never coming back, Edward's timid voice sounded out.

"Bella?" It sounded as though he was hoping with all he had, yet still didn't think it was me. It seemed like he didn't want to be hoping, but was anyway.

EPOV

I watched it come closer and closer and then closed my eyes for the impact.

It never came.

What should have occurred seconds after I closed my eyes still wasn't happening a half-minute later. I flicked my eyes open just in time to hear the bear's infuriated roar. It was being dragged backwards into the forest by vines tied around its legs. Standing in front of the spectacle was a short figure with long, wavy brown hair. She looked like Bella, but I didn't allow myself to hope.

The bear was now tied to the forest floor. Another vine had come along and was now strangling it to death. The figure in front of me seemed to feel no pity for it, and it soon lay still. I waited for her to turn around, to prove me wrong in my hopes, but she remained facing away.

Now that I thought about it, she seemed more and more like my Bella. The hair was the same, as was the height and weight. She stood the same way and seemed to have the save ability as Bella. Also, she had saved me, which meant that she was a vegetarian vampire. The normal vampire would have let it attack me and then drank me dry. I felt undiluted hope rise up in my chest, and tried everything I could to force it back. It wouldn't go down.

I needed to squash this hope out forever. The only way to do that would be to prove that it wasn't Bella.

"Bella?" I asked, and you could hear all my emotions in my voice.

Slowly, she began to turn around.

**A/N: Wow. Only one more chapter to go. Once again, the more you review, the sooner I update.**


	20. Chapter 20

**A/N: Okay, so this is the last chapter. Please tell me what you think once you get to the end. I'd really like to know. Also, I am already working on another story that I should be able to post soon, so look out for that. I'd just like to say thanks to all the awesome people who reviewed. You guys rock.**

**At this very moment, I have my next story open and am working on it. It's seven pages right now. The more reviews I get for this last chapter, the sooner I'll post the next story. So tell me what you think. I worked really hard on this one, and I honestly think it's way better than my last story. Have you read that one? It's called My NotSoHuman Life Without You. I love it, but that doesn't really count.**

**Sorry for this ridiculously long AN. You all know that this isn't usual for me. I guess I'm just stalling. I'm not sure if you guys will be dissapointed with the end. Please tell me no matter what you think.**

**So there we are. And without further ado, the final chapter of Fading Sun, ladies and gentlemen, I give you CHAPTER 20!  
**

BPOV

I turned around as slowly as I could at the sound of his voice. "Hey." I said, unable to think of anything more eloquent.

Then I was once again in his arms, right where I should be.

His face was pressed into my hair and it seemed like he was inhaling the scent for all it was worth. His arms wrapped tight around me and even as a vampire, I could feel the strength in his hold. I inhaled his scent too, and the fire in my throat made me want to dance for joy. Edward was here, and it didn't matter if he already had someone or if he had stopped loving me. For one immeasurable second, it was just us. The world around us ceased to exist.

Then, I started to sob.

Great, heaving sobs wrenched their way out of my chest and I held on to Edward even tighter than before. His shoulders started to shake too, and then we were standing in the shadows on the side of the road, crying, and holding onto each other as if they were lifelines.

Eventually, we calmed down and we just stood there, holding each other. I was aware of Edward softly crooning my name over and over again in my ear. I held on tighter still and reveled in his _thereness_. All those months in Volterra had been worth it. Edward had been safe, I had escaped, and we were together again.

Light shone out of every pore in my body and we had to move into the forest and start back as I was lighting up all the shadows. I wondered what Jasper would think of this new emotion in me.

Edward and I both watched a new vine flower twirl up my arm. They were bright yellow and shone like stars with the love saturating. I slowly became aware of the fact that I was floating a couple feet off the ground. I laughed in pure elation and joy.

"Do you want to fly back?" I asked, as Edward was now walking with his hand straight up in the air to keep it in mine. He nodded vigorously and I swung him onto my back. We shot off into the woods and landed just outside the line of the woods. The rest of my family was waiting inside. They seemed anxious about something.

"Oops. They're probably really worried about me. I wasn't supposed to leave. I wonder why they can't smell you though."

"I barely touched the ground the whole time I was here. I mainly flew. You should go up though. I'll be there in a second." Edward glanced at me, but then turned and walked to the front door. The door was opened by a very worried Esme who ran out and gave him a large hug. It seemed that that relationship had improved.

I was worried about going to see my family. Would they hate me now? I had caused them so much worry. Would they welcome me back or had they moved on? Would I not fit in anymore?

I ghosted up to the door, listening to try and get an idea of how I would be received. Looking through the window, I saw just how much damage I had caused. No one was doing anything. Everyone just sat around staring at walls. Edward seemed to make it a habit of sitting at a certain windowsill. No one talked or moved or accomplished anything.

Just then Edward looked over and saw me. 'Should I tell them?' he mouthed at me. I nodded my head and he stood up.

"Hey everyone, first I wanted to apologize for how long my walk was." Everyone seemed shocked that he was talking at all, but nodded their forgiveness. "However, when I was out, I ran into someone…" he was about to tell them when Alice stood up.

"You ran into someone you knew? This is why you aren't allowed to leave the grounds. We're just trying to protect you." The words weren't angry, more hurt, but I still decided to save him.

"He ran into me." I said, walking through the doors. All the heads in the room whipped in my direction. No one moved. All breath stopped. I think everyone but Edward was in shock. He walked up to me and took my hand. Together, we waited for everyone to unfreeze.

Alice was the first to recover. "Bella!" she sang, and ran up, tackling me in a hug. I hugged her back and then we were both swept up in a bear hug from Emmett. Next, Esme came and wrapped her arms around me. Carlisle came after her, and then Rose and Jasper. All my worries were gone, and while that might have been from Jasper, it still proved that they cared about me. My feet were once again high off the ground.

EPOV

"Hey." It seemed like my whole world had narrowed down to this one point in time. There, in front of me, was Bella. Suddenly, it didn't matter if she had joined the Volturi or that she had been gone for a year or even that she was supposed to be dead. She was standing in front of me, and even covered in mud, she was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen.

I don't remember even thinking about taking her into my arms. It was a reflex; too immediate to have any thought process behind it. I just knew that it was my Bella, and that she belonged in my arms at that moment.

And then I was holding on to her as tightly as I could. I pressed my face against her twig-filled hair and was assailed by her scent. I gulped it down like it was air and was aware that she was doing the same.

We stood there for a second that seemed to last a lifetime. It was a lifetime unto itself. No one could ruin the moment. It was just Bella and I, and no one else existed. Her shoulders started to shake, and I heard her sob. Tightening my hold, we held on together, sobbing for another lifetime before all was calm again.

It was a while before even I realized that I was saying something, and then even longer to realize that I was just saying her name over and over. Bella. Bella. Bella. It was the simplest of mantras; a single word, yet it was the most important word in my life. It was a word that stood for a person. A person who in turn stood for me. My whole life revolved around that one word, and I would never have it any other way.

Eventually, we had to turn back towards the house. Bella was shining so brightly that the cars would soon see us. Any worries I had about her moving on while she was away were erased by the pure love that shone off her.

Vine flowers were twirling up her arm and I looked on in interest. They were bright yellow and shining brightly. Floating slightly away from her arm, they embodied happiness and love. I smiled.

It was about that time that I realized that Bella was a few feet taller than me. She was floating from happiness. She seemed to realize how hard this made walking and soon we were flying toward the house. It wasn't until we landed and saw the family pacing around that I remembered I wasn't supposed to have left.

"Oops. They're probably really worried about me. I wasn't supposed to leave. I wonder why they can't smell you though."

"I barely touched the ground the whole time I was here. I mainly flew. You should go up though. I'll be there in a second." She seemed nervous about something, but I knew that if I needed to know, she would tell me. I started forward only to have the door flung open by Esme. She gave me a large hug and then escorted me inside.

As soon as I walked through the door, everyone sighed in relief and then went back to just sitting there like we had for the past year. I thought about saying something, but wondered if Bella even wanted me to. Maybe she wanted me to wait and to arrive by surprise. I went to go sit on my window sill. A flash of white in my peripheral vision made me look towards the window. Bella was standing there with a look of pain on her face. It seemed out current condition surprised her.

Hoping she could read lips, I asked her if she wanted me to say anything. She nodded furiously and so I stood up.

"Hey everyone, first I wanted to apologize for how long my walk was." I could understand that everyone was surprised. This was the first time I had talked to them in a year. "However, when I was out, I ran in to someone…" Alice cut me off.

"You ran into someone you knew? This is why you aren't allowed to leave the grounds. We're just trying to protect you." She sounded hurt, but she wouldn't let me get a word in edgewise to explain. Luckily, I was soon saved.

"He ran into me." She walked through the door and everyone whipped their heads in her direction. I followed at normal speed. It seemed like everyone was frozen in their shock. I went up to wait with Bella and they all unfroze eventually. One by one they came up to hug Bella. It seemed as though everything our family had been missing was back again; like the gaping wound had healed.

After a while of sitting and talking, Bella was forced to explain her story and all that had happened. We also made her give us back our memories.

By the time she had finished, I could tell that she just wanted to go rest somewhere. She started to walk up the staircase and I sat with the rest of the family. She stopped halfway up and turned to look at me.

"Are you coming?" she asked, sounding as if something had just occurred to her; something she wished she had never thought of.

I nodded vigorously and went to walk beside her. At some point throughout the year, I had been in every room in the Cullen's house, except for Bella's room. It had been off limits by unspoken agreement. No one wanted to go in there to see all the reminders of a girl we thought to be dead. No one wanted to disturb it from the way it had been when she was last there.

Now, I walked through the doors with no hesitation. She was standing beside me and she was alive.

Her room was like no other room I had ever seen, yet you could tell it belonged to her. The floor was a light colored hardwood and the walls were a calm blue. There was a black couch in the corner overlooking a wall made entirely of windows. There were multiple bookshelves filled to the brim and there was an open door to one side that led to a room full of musical instruments.

Crawling all around the walls and up the sides of furniture were vine flowers that seemed to be permanent residents. They changed with Bella's mood. Right now, they were a dark blue that suggested nervousness.

Bella sat down at the edge of the couch and I sat down next to her. I noticed that she was worrying her bottom lip and was twisting her hands in her lap. This was the most worried I had ever seem her.

"Edward, before this goes any further, I need to make sure of something. I need to know that you didn't move on while I was gone. I'll be fine if you did, and I hope I can still be friends, but I need to know. Please, just tell me and don't worry about hurting my feelings."

I was shocked. How could she doubt me so much? After all that we'd been through, she thought I would come back after she gave her life for mine and then just move on to love another?

"Bella." My voice was soft. "Do you really doubt me so much? I had never felt any love before the day I met you. While you were gone, I never even left the house grounds. Even if I had, no one else could have even touched my heart, because I don't have it any more. I gave it to you the first time I saw you. I never stopped loving you, but if you did go and join the Volturi, I hope you won't mind that I'll be going back with you, because now that you're back, I'm never letting you out of my sight again."

She had come over to hug me halfway through the speech, and had started to cry. At the last sentence, however, she stopped and looked up in shock.

"After just asking how I could question your love for me, how can you question my love in return? I promised in my letter that I would either come back or die. I never once mentioned joining the Volturi, and I intended to keep that promise every second I was in Volterra. You were in my every thought and I spent all my time thinking of how I could get back to you.

"And anyways, you did have a heart to give while I was gone. Even though your heart might have been away with me, my heart was with you. It too was yours the first time I saw you from across the cafeteria after Alice told me that we would be together. No other thing, vampire or human, has touched my heart the way you did, and they never will. Vampires never change mates. When we fall in love, it's permanent. I will always love you, and I would never break even the simplest promise I make to you, because I love you too much. Never doubt that."

She leaned up for a kiss and pulled away much sooner than I would have liked. Her eyes were only slightly darker, a fact that seemed to cause her happiness. Then she reached into her pocket.

"This is why I wanted to come up here. It's the last of the letters."

From her pocket, she had pulled the last of the letters she had shown me. Written in the corner were the words, _open when it's all over_. Well, it was definitely all over. The paper unfolded to reveal a long sheet of paper all in Bella's handwriting.

_Is it really over? It seems like it will never end. The odds are impossible. Everything relies on everyone doing exactly what they're told at exactly the right time. It's too precise to be a good plan._

_But I guess it has to be over for you to be reading this. So congratulations._

_First, make sure everyone has his or her memory back. This includes you. Second, the deal you made with Edward still goes. You told him you would change him if that's what he really wanted, and so that's what's going to happen. Sorry, he's telling me what to write over my shoulder._

_Anyway, you know you want him around forever, and he wants that too. So you have to change him. It will solve everyone's problems._

_Bye future me. Thanks for getting us out of this and wish me luck!_

_Bella_

We just stared at the paper for a while. There was no doubt in my mind about whether or not I wanted to be changed. I had wanted this ever since I found out it would be possible. Apparently, Bella wanted it too. I had all my thoughts in a row just as she turned to look at me.

"Do you still want to be changed?" she asked. I was decided.

"Yes. I want you forever."

"Do you want to be changed now?"

"I see no reason why not. It will have no effect on the pain, and I don't need to tell anyone goodbye. Besides, I'm getting older every minute while you stay preserved perfectly at seventeen."

"That's right, you're eighteen, aren't you?"

"Yep."

"Happy Birthday."

"Do I get a kiss?" she reached up and pressed her lips to mine. Once again, it was shorter than I would have liked, but we would have eternity to kiss after the change.

"Are you ready?" she asked.

"Yes."

And she sank her razor sharp teeth into my neck.

THE BEGINNING


	21. goodbye

Hey. It's me. Yeah, I know. I'm not supposed to have an author's note as a chapter, but I need to do this.

I had another epiphany. I'm too addicted to FanFiction. That's right. It's tragic. I've been spending so much time on FanFiction that I can't think about anything else. Ever. And I'm a Christian, so my life should be centered on GOD, not stories online that talk about vampires.

So, this is goodbye. Not for forever, but for a _long time_. I'm not reading or writing any more FanFiction. For a whole year. I'm discontinuing my stories, because even once I come back, I'll be so changed that I doubt I'll be able to continue them.

Anyone who wants to can adopt my stories, or write sequels. You don't have to tell me you're going to, just go ahead. I'm not going to delete them, but I won't change them either.

This is such a fantastic website, I wish I didn't have to do this.

On a second note, I have a friend reading this who I haven't been completely honest with. I'm not going to call her by name, but I'm going to give her a hint. I showed her FanFiction, and then guided her to my stories, not telling her they were mine.

Here's how you'll know if I'm talking about you. Go to my profile (top of the page, click on the link of my pen name) and look at the poem I have posted there, specifically who wrote it. You'll know what I mean if it's you.

Thank you all for being so awesome and writing such wonderful stories. I'll miss them all.

Adieu,

School-is-my-pugatory


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